California Dreaming
by kelly1981
Summary: Sookie is laboratory analyst. visitors are being shown around, they look a little familiar..... AU/AH
1. Chapter 1

It was a dull Tuesday morning, I hated Tuesday, almost as much as Monday. Its just too far from Friday and from going out to the pub. That particular morning, we all dragged ourselves into the team meeting, expecting the usual boring crap. Instead we were met with the lab manager, we hardly ever saw her, so this meant something big was going down. We all gathered around, and waited patiently. When she saw everyone was ready she began.

'we are having some special visitors this week' she began, I sighed internally.

'these particular visitors are interested in how our company works, and may be opening up a branch in an area of America we haven't yet covered.'

she sounded way too excited about this, indicating I was going to be a complete yawn fest for the rest of us. Either that or we'd be pestered constantly with boring pointless questions by boring men in suits.

'as always we expect you all to be polite and helpful' she nodded at our team leader, showing she had finished. Our team leader, Jim, took over. He handed out our 'due today' lists and let us all get back to work.

I walked back to the lab to finish preparing my machine, stupid thing didn't want to calibrate today. I swear it was older than me, and almost as temperamental.

After setting it off calibrating again, I left it to go on break. It would take about a half hour for the machine to decide whether it was going to behave or not. I gathered my friends from their respective rooms on my way past, the 5 of us always went on break together, and always at the same time.

When we got up to the canteen, the whole room was buzzing. Jinny, the company pain in the ass, had decided I was her new best friend. She drove me nuts with her endless waffle about absolutely everything.

'Sookie, did you see the visitors yet? She practically shouted at me

'nope, not yet' I said, turning to go into the kitchen for much needed coffee.

'oh, you have to. They are really hot. Especially one guy' she continued, oblivious to everyone else.

'really?' I said, totally disinterested.

She wandered off thankfully, probably spotting another victim.

'any of you guys seen the visitors yet?' I asked my gathering when we'd collected coffee and sat down.

'nah, not that I noticed' Steve said, tho they would have to practically have to sit on Steve for him to notice.

'me neither' replied Emily, who was reliable enough to have hunted them out if she'd heard it was worth while.

Break passed, and we strolled back to the lab, still no sign of the famous visitors, but my machine was finally working. I only knew this because someone else was using it. 'typical' I thought to myself.

I grabbed my sample bottles and began the trek to the warehouse, we had to collect our own sub-samples from the original bottle, which were all held in a huge room at the other end of the building. Rows and rows of trolleys, all with numbered bottles. Spending too much time in there was just depressing, but I had 84 samples and it was going to take a while. Thankfully they weren't due out that day, and they were all on the bottom row of one of the trolleys. I pulled the trolley in question out of the row, and sat on the floor next to it. There was no way I was getting up and down for 84 freaking samples.

About 20 samples in, I was getting into quite a nice rhythm, sitting cross legged seemed to be working on saving my spine. It was then that I heard voices, they were too close, coming from the door into the warehouse right by my row. 'dammit' I said, thinking about standing, then looking at all my samples.

'screw it' I retorted to myself. They can sit and swivel.

So I sat there, hearing the voices approach, until I was sure they were about to walk through me.

'Sookie, are you ok?' came a voice right next to me, I was just reaching into the back of the trolley, so the intrusion made me bang my head.

'I was' I said, noting it was another team leader, Mel, asking me.

'I'd like you to meet our visitors' she said

'oh, sure' I said, and stood as gracefully as I could.

I turned around slowly, pulling off my sexy purple latex gloves.

'this is Sookie, one of our most capable analysts' Mel said, bless her she really wanted me on her team.

I looked at the visitors and almost fell back down on my ass. Jinny wasn't kidding when she said they were worth meeting.

'oh… um… hi, nice to meet you' I said holding out a sweaty hand. Those gloves are not kind.

Mel chuckled beside me, I could feel my face going a strawberry shade of red.

There were 4 visitors, one man was short, brunette and had kind but wary eyes. The second man was a bit taller, short auburn hair and a fuzzy beard. To one side was a beautiful woman, long brown hair and big brown eyes, just like I wanted. Stood at the back of the group, but totally visible, was the most magnificent specimen of human biology I had ever seen. He was tall, muscular (his visitors lab coat was straining, clearly far to small), he had blond hair, tied back neatly, and a "goatee/half-assed beard" that actually looked really good.

I realised I'd been staring when Mel jabbed me in the ribs.

'so you run one of the machines?' asked the woman, looking hopeful that I would resist using jargon.

'yes, well actually I run 3 machines, at different times of the day' I said, hoping that was vague enough for her.

'how many tests are you trained on?' she asked, this was beginning to feel like an interview.

'erm… all 14 of them, the whole team is cross-trained, it helps in the holiday season' I explained.

'we'll let you get back to work' said Mel, 'but could you pop to my office just before you go to lunch?'

'yeah sure' I told her, and turning back to the visitors, 'I hope you enjoy you tour today'.

They all smiled and began walking the length of the warehouse, Mel trying to think of interesting things to say. I watched them as I sank back down to my position, just before they turned a corner into an office the tall handsome one turned and caught my eye, I swear he winked and waved. I smiled and wave back, then sank back to lean on one of the other trolleys.

'sweet suffering fuck' I said to myself.

'what was all that?' came a voice from the other row of trolleys. It was Matt, the puppy dog hanger on in our little group.

'I have no idea, but still….. Crikey!' I said, still staring at the corner the guy had disappeared around.

'why does Mel want to see you?' Matt asked. Typical he would focus on that

'not a clue, guess I'll find out soon though' I told him, and resumed collecting.


	2. Chapter 2

It was half an hour to lunch and I had my head buried inside one of my machines trying to figure out why it was chewing up my sample pots. I had removed parts, which were laid out on my work station, and I was just about to disappear to my waist when I heard a voice from the door of my lab.

'you seem good at burying yourself in your work' I jumped, just managing not to clunk my head again.

I extracted myself from the machine and turned, only to find it was the incredibly handsome man from earlier. I had been daydreaming about him a little….

I saw that the others were stood outside the door, which he was carefully closing. *gulp*

'yeah, I love what I do, so I do it to the best of my ability' I said confidently. Hopefully hiding my shaky knees and heavy breathing.

'do you have a favourite test?' he asked, did he really want to know, or was he just being polite?

'my favourite thing is titration, but I don't get to do it manually any more' I told him, wondering if he would have a clue what I was talking about.

'I used to enjoy that too, my favourite was solvent extraction.' he replied, wow he knew lab work, he really was amazing. I just stood there smiling like a moron.

'Oh, I have to go, but I hope I'll see you later' he said as he opened the door and exited smiling.

I had to sit down, this was too much excitement for one day. I looked at my machine, it was going to have to wait, I needed to see Mel to find out what was going on with these people.

I left my little lab, to see the visitors with Mr Handsome at the back, being led down the corridor by Jim, my team leader. Again, Mr Handsome turned and waved, I waved back still in shock.

'Sookie, who is that!' Emily had just walked up to me after spotting me standing aimlessly in the corridor.

'I have no idea, but I intend on finding out' I told her. Just then Mel passed by,

'do you have a minute now?' I asked her,

'yeah sure, come on' she said, and we walked to her office.

I liked Mel, she was enthusiastic and boisterous. A bit like me I guess. We sat in her office and she sighed.

'that's not a good sign' I said.

'it is for you, just not for your department' she confessed, 'the visitors are from a rival company in California, we are buying them out and they want to see what we can do'

'and that's good for me how….?' I asked, intrigued.

'well… they are very impressed with our efficiency, and want a couple of members of staff to go back with them the re-train their staff' she said.

'oh' was all I could say.

'they want to come see you with a machine later, but after talking with me, they'd like to offer you one of the positions' she said, and waited for my reaction.

I could only sit there open mouthed. I tried to regain some composure.

'would you go if they asked?' she said, 'they are impressed with the volume of tests you know'

'I don't know, I guess so' I said, still shocked. 'I have nothing holding me here except my job'

'oh you'd still be employed by us, just on loan for a while' she didn't seem like she wanted to talk me into it or out of it. 'you can't tell anyone until they formally offer it to you, you understand'

'of course, how long would it be for?' I asked

'well… initially, it would be for 2 months' she said.

'wow, 2 months in California? Where would I stay?'

'they'd arrange that, you'd be their guest, so I don't know but you wouldn't have to worry about that'

'ok, then. I guess I'll wait and see if they ask me' I said.

'wonderful, which machine shall I bring them to later, about 2pm?'

'I'll be on the konelab at that time, I hope its working, one of them just caught me with my head inside the auto-titrator' I laughed.

I left her office in a daze, and walked to gather the gang for lunch. How the hell was I supposed to keep this under my hat? I guess the best way would be to forget about it.

I walked into the main lab where most of them worked,

'we should go to the pub' Steve was saying,

'yeah, I need a drink' added James,

'oh I don't know, the visitors are coming to my machine later' I told them, 'I don't want to be intoxicated when I'm trying to impress them'

'oh? And why would you want t impress them?' said Jenny from across the room.

'have you seen them? The tall one is really hot' I said, then I saw Jenny's face, and knew someone was stood behind me.

Thankfully it was only Julie, a team leader.

'I thought you might have that reaction' she said.

We stood and talked while the others finished what they were doing, apparently a lot of the female staff had a similar reaction upon meeting them.

I let the guys talk me into going to the pub, which turned out to be a really bad idea.

We walked into our usual haunt and I ended up face to face, well face to chest with Mr Handsome.

'hey there, again' he said, smiling down at me.

'oh, hey' I managed, just about holding my dignity together.

We went to the bar and got drinks, and went to sit outside, out of range of our management who were sat in the restaurant with our visitors.

'holy cow, five minutes peace…..' I muttered as we sat around a picnic bench.


	3. Chapter 3

Note: thank you all for your lovely reviews. This is the first time anyone has ever read my stories.

Trying a new 'format' bare with me, I aren't used to presenting my waffle.

I have to admit, this is based around somewhere I used to work, and the daydreams I'd have there.

I do not own the characters, the wonderful Charlaine Harris does, I just enjoy dreaming about them.

Hope you enjoy

After lunch I managed to get my machine back in one piece, and working. It was amazing what threats of "I'll call the engineer" or "you wanna be scrapped?" will do for a machines productivity.

And yes I realise talking to machinery isn't healthy, but there was no-one around and you just gotta let the fur fly occasionally.

I made my way to the room that held the konelab. I had to make sure it was going to work, and I only had half an hour before the visitors showed up. I started up the computer and began running pure water through it's tubes. I asked the machine calmly to behave until later, which surprisingly seemed to work.

I ran the calibration next, just to make sure it would pass. This would be an impressive thing to show the visitors, especially when it worked first time.

I loaded up a few racks to be run after my little demonstration, and then sorted through some paperwork while I waited for them to arrive.

A little knock on the door announced their arrival, Mel poked her had in first.

'everything set?' she whispered. I nodded enthusiastically.

The 4 visitors, Mel and my lab manager walked into the room, and formed a little semi-circle around me and my machine. Suddenly the room felt very claustrophobic.

I briefly told them about what the machine did, showed them how I cleaned it in preparation for running and then began the calibration. I crossed my fingers and stared at the rack as the needle went into the first standard.

'Sookie is one of our most valued members of staff' my manager told the gathered visitors,

I was still facing the machine, with my back to her, and felt confusion sweep across my face.

Stood next to my machine and almost in front of me was Mr Handsome, who's face was a picture, he seemed to be holding in laughter, or maybe just gas.

'she has trained the entire department, and still manages to improve our methods' the manager continued.

I smirked a little, looked up a Mr Handsome, who winked again.

I turned a beetroot version of red that time, I was sure.

Eventually the machine finished its calibration, and I was able to show them how the machine picks up samples and reagents, and the racks we insert with the samples. I also told them about the most common faults, and how to fix them. Overall I was trying to sell myself, I really wanted to go to California, and it wasn't just because Mr Handsome made me feel 16 years old.

My manager walked out of the room then, trying to usher the visitors with her. Two of the followed as far as the corridor but Mr Handsome and the beautiful woman stayed behind with Mel.

'Sookie, I'd like you to meet Mr Northman….' Mel said gesturing towards Mr Handsome

'Eric….. please' he said as he reached out his hand, I blushed and shook it.

'…and this is Miss Ravenscroft' Mel gestured at the beautiful woman.

'Please call me Pam' she said.

'Well, its very nice to meet you both, I hope my little demo was helpful' I said, half asking.

'Yes, it was very informative' replied Pam.

'How many different machines are used in this building?' asked Eric

'Well, there's 7 in total, but a few of them are used for the same purpose' I replied, smiling ever so gently.

'Really? And how many do you know how to use?' Eric seemed to be trying to sell me to Pam, who was looking very thoughtful, she must be the boss.

'Oh, I can use all of them. I've trained on each so I can help fix them without calling an engineer' I replied, and on the word "engineer" the machine began making a grating sound.

I moved quickly around the machine, opened its lid and removed all the racks not in use. I pried the needle up off the vial it had gotten trapped on, the grating noise stopped.

'We'd better let her fix the machine, lets go, we have much to discuss' Pam said, moving towards the door.

'I thought it would be useful to watch her fix it' Eric told Pam, stepping to one side as I opened up the entire front of the machine.

'Yes, I suppose it would.' Pam replied, moving back into the room.

Thankfully the other 2 visitors, still merrily chatting to my manager, seemed to catch on there was a impromptu demonstration, and moved around to the window to watch.

'Holy hell in a hand basket' I said to myself, and began moving part of the machine out of the way.

Thankfully this machine was like my child, I knew everything it did, and how it broke. In under 2 minutes I was removing the offending vial and piecing the machine back together.

'That was very impressive' said Pam, 'We really need to go to the boardroom now'. She pulled on Eric's arm, he was still watching me attach the panels.

They left the room and walked down the corridor with my manager, leaving me and Mel sat in the room dazed. We sat on our swivel chairs and looked at each other.

'That felt a bit like an interview' I told her.

'Yeah, but they seemed very interested in what you were doing' she replied.

'I guess that's a good sign' I said, and turned to finish the run that had screwed up.

'Yup, I'll go see if I can find out what's going on' she said, and wandered down the corridor towards the managers office.

The rest of the day seemed to be moving along nicely, with only the occasional interruption.

My friends appeared at the door to take me for my break, while I was finishing programming Mel stuck her head round the door.

'Sookie, could you come down to the boardroom for a minute please?'

'Yeah sure' I told her, standing to follow her. 'I'll find you guys when I'm done' I told my friends.

We walked down the corridor, my nerves on edge. Mel seemed excited, grinning like a Cheshire cat.

As we entered the boardroom, I saw there was only Pam, my manager and one of the directors, 'I wonder where Eric is?' I thought to myself.

'Sookie, so nice to see you' said the director, his name was Philip I think. I tried not to get too involved with management, which was the main reason I had no idea of my managers name.

'Thank you, how may I help today?' I asked, as I sat in the chair I was indicated.

'I have a proposition for you Sookie, as you know we have just bought Miss Ravenscroft's laboratory.' he began, I crossed my fingers under the desk and held my breath automatically.

'Well, Miss Ravenscroft is so impressed with our team here, we would like to offer you the opportunity to return with her, to train her team to be as good as ours.' Philip finished speaking and seemed to be waiting for me to say something. I must have slipped into shock, even though I was hoping for this.

'Wow, that would be an honour' I managed to say, before my silence made me look too foolish.

'Excellent, I'll have Audrey draw up a sub-contract and arrange travel for you' Philip smiled, satisfied.

'Thank you, but where will I be staying? And how long will I be there for?' I asked.

'You accommodation will be sorted out by Miss Ravenscroft's team, and your contract will be for 2 months… initially' he answered.

My eyebrows shot up, Mel looked surprised too.

'I'll get the contract to you tomorrow, Sookie. Could you be ready to leave on Saturday?' Philip seemed almost as excited as me, maybe he thought I could be his spy in the new company.

'Wow, Saturday, Yes I think I can be packed in time for that' I said, standing.

'Mel, if you could take Sookie for a coffee, I think she may need some fresh air' Philip said, clearly wanting us out of the room.

Mel and I walked down the corridor, collected a cup of coffee each and walked outside into the car park.

'wow, did that just happen?' I said after a few moments of stunned silence.

'yep, your going to California' she replied, blowing her coffee.

We sat there a while, the occasional sentence passing between us. After about 5 minutes, Eric appeared from around the corner of the building, with the dark haired man.

'I hear you will be returning to the states with us?' he said, coming to sit on the bench next to ours. His dark haired friend sat opposite him.

'yes, I've been loaned out to you, I sure hope I'll be useful' I said, trying to get over the wobbly legs that seemed to plague me when he was close by.

'I'm sure you will be an asset to our laboratory. This is Bill, he will be your supervisor while your with us'

'oh? Its nice to meet you' I said, holding out my hand to the man, he shook it firmly and smiled.

'I work in the office, but I have a lot of dealing with the laboratory' Eric continued.

'lovely, it sounds like such a friendly place to work' I was making stuff up now, I had no idea what to say but wanted him to keep talking, he had such a nice voice.

'I hope you enjoy it, we better be heading back, they'll think I was chatting you up' he laughed and stood to walk back to the building.

When he had disappeared from sight we put our cups in the recycling and headed back towards the doors too.

'I think that was a pre-chat-up chat' said Mel joking. I looked at her, not quite knowing what to say. I wanted him to chat me up, sure. But I didn't seriously think it would ever happen, he was way out of my league.

Back at the lab I told my friends, who were all as excited as me. Jenny managed a few lewd comments, which made me laugh. Then they all began planning the night out they were taking me on, Friday would be my last day in England, not just in this lab, for at least 2 months.

The rest of the week was manic, preparing paperwork and re-training some of the staff. When I got home, I spent most of my evenings dancing around with joy and repacking my suitcase several times. I had nothing to leave behind except my crummy flat and my friends, I was pretty sure both would be here when I got back.

Friday rolled around very quickly, I hadn't slept much because of all the excitement and activity. I was being dragged to the pub immediately after work. Audrey, the manager, pulled me into her office that morning, giving me a few pointers on what the company specialised in. My job there may end up a little different than expected. Audrey wanted to make sure I followed the guidelines all branches of the company stuck to, which meant a shed load of paperwork.

After all the boring formalities were finished, I returned to my lab to put my last run on my favourite machine. Just as I was finishing up there was a knock at my door.

'hey, you all set for tomorrow?' Eric asked, the biggest smile on his face.

'yep, I fly at 4pm from Birmingham, you?' I figured I'd be "friendly" seeing as I would be working with them for months, but I was locking away the hope he'd see me in any other capacity than that as employee.

'us too, we got you on the same flight so we could take you straight to your accommodation' he continued.

'oh? Where am I staying?' I asked, curious that he would know.

'we actually got you a little flat in the same building as me' he stated, the smile never leaving his face.

I didn't manage to speak for a moment then, that was a little weird.

'we figured you could ride to work with me, unless that's a problem' his face dropping to show concern.

'no, no that's sounds fine. I hope its not too much bother' I said, wondering what was really going on.

'great, see you later' he said and left the room. Later? I asked myself. But before I could ponder it for too long Steve was knocking on the door, it was lunch time and we were going to the pub.

'I just wanna drop some stuff off at home, I'll meet you there' I told him.

I packed up my personal stuff, emptied my locker and carried it all to my car. After dropping it off at home I grabbed my camera and headed to the pub.


	4. Chapter 4

Note: hey, can you tell I have nothing I'd rather be doing than dreaming about Mr Northman?

Has anyone else ever had daydreams at work about him being the 'new guy' or 'visitor'?

I parked in front of the pub, there were an awful lot more cars than normal. I grabbed my camera and bag and walked to the front door, Steve was stood outside, 'that's a bit weird' I thought to myself.

'Hey Sookie, how's it going?' he asked, clearly stalling for time.

'Not bad, you out here for a reason?' his face became serious, he knew he'd been sussed.

Steve took me by the arm and lead me through the two door into the pub. There was a huge banner above the bar that read "Good Luck Sookie", which was still being put up at one corner by Jenny. Almost everyone from work was there, all my friends, my team, the team leaders and even my manager Audrey. I gasped as I walked in, overwhelmed by the gathering. They all cheered when they saw me, and then Steve presented me with my first pint of the celebration. We all had a nice chat, and a small group of us wandered outside to sit on the picnic table again.

'So Sookie, California! You gonna go celebrity spotting while your there?' Jenny asked, she knew how obsessed I was with certain shows.

'Maybe, if I get time. I do wanna spend some time at the beach, and have a good look around' I told her.

We talked for a little while, others would occasionally pop outside to bring me a drink. I had just finished my 4th pint when Eric appeared, sitting down on our table.

'So you're the guy stealing away our Sookie' James said, sounding a little sour.

'Not just me, but yeah we are, and we might not give her back' Eric said with a cheeky grin. 'give me your camera, lets get a picture of you and your friends'

We all huddled together and he took a photo. Showing it to us, he'd managed to cut James off the edge. I chuckled to myself. Eric slid a pint across the table to me.

'Here, you continue celebrating, I'll see you later' he said and rose to leave.

'But I can't drink any more, I won't be allowed back to work' I protested

'Oh, didn't Audrey tell you, you have the afternoon off, call it a going way present' he said, and disappeared back into the bar.

'He's so hot' Jenny commented quietly, 'and I think he quite likes you' she sniggered.

'Nah, he's so far out of my league he can't even see me' I was beginning to slur my words. 'aww hell, how am I going to get home, I can't drive in this state'

'I'll bring your car over later, Jenny can drive mine' said Steve, 'we should be getting back, lets deposit you back in the bar, someone there can drive you home'

'Aww thanks buddy' I said, leaning on him as I stood up.

We staggered into the bar, and they leaned me up against a wall, I passed my car keys to Steve and gave each of them a hug.

'Hey! No goodbye's yet, were still taking you out tonight' James told me firmly,

'Well you better call me a cab so I'll be able to sober up a little' I giggled, the beer was really starting to get to me.

'Don't bother with that' said Eric, from behind James, 'I'll make sure she gets home' and he smiled the most adorable smile, or maybe I was just drunk, but he looked like an angel.

Eric steered me over to a table, and sat me down so I could lean against the wall. He sat next to me, so my leaning would look like we were deep in conversation. He smiled at me and took charge of my camera again. Before he had chance to wander off, we were joined by his colleagues.

'I haven't introduced you to Sam yet,' he said, making room by shuffling closer.

'Nice to meet you' said Sam, his auburn hair shimmering to my drunken eyes, 'I'm one of the team leaders that will be trying to steal you from Bill' he told me.

'Its sure nice to be wanted' I told him, 'don't think I've ever been head-hunted before'.

'Pam is the lab manager, she's in charge of Bill and me' Sam said, he seemed like a really nice guy.

'Is Sam trying to steal you already?' Bill said, leaning over the back of a chair. 'well he can't have you, my team is such a mess. I'd fire the lot of them if we had alternatives.'

'Oh, I'm sure they aren't that bad.' I said 'they just need a bit of British persuasion' I smiled my sweetest smile and they all laughed.

'We should get you home' said Eric, pulling me to my feet 'you have a big evening, and I'm sure your friends would never forgive me if you didn't show up'.

So we stood and slowly walked out of the bar, I focussed on keeping my dignity. On the way to the front door a couple of people accosted me and gave me cards, I wished them well, they said they'd see me tonight. I sighed internally, I was hoping it would be a quiet night with just my friends. As we walked to Eric's car I could feel the fresh air making me more and more uncoordinated. I was very grateful for my strong stomach, at least I wouldn't embarrass myself my being sick.

Eric helped me into his car, it was large and very comfy. After he'd leaned over to buckle me in (he smelled absolutely divine) he jumped in the drivers seat and looked at me.

'So, where do you live?' he asked

'Head towards the traffic lights over there' I said waving my arm in the general direction, 'and turn right'.

We drove slowly, me directing him the whole way, until we reached my road. I indicated where he should pull over, and I began unclipping my seatbelt. I tried to climb out of the car, and ended up on my knees. When I gathered myself, about to stand using the door, I noticed feet appear in front of me and then hands around my arms pulling me to my feet. When I looked up Eric was stood before me smiling his adorable smile. I reached into my bag while I was upright and fished out my keys.

'I'll have those' Eric said, laughing. 'you won't be able to find the door, never mind the keyhole.'

'I can usually handle my beer much better than this' I protested, he simply laughed.

'looking at you, I don't doubt that.' he said, moving my centre of balance to close the car door. 'but right now, I think you may need a little help getting inside'.

He chuckled to himself as he moved one arm behind his head, lowered his shoulder to my stomach and hoisted me into the air. I yelped, which was a bit weak of me, but I haven't been picked up like that since I was a child. He strode to my front door and unlocked it, stepped in and shut it firmly. I giggled uncontrollably.

'You enjoying yourself up there?' he asked, opening doors to see which room was which.

'I haven't had a man in my flat for quite some time' I giggled, 'and certainly never like this'.

He walked into my bedroom and placed me on my feet, we stood there a moment looking each other in the eye. He moved to put me on my bed, but our feet must have become tangled because we both fell to the bed laughing.

'Well well Mr Northman, what a predicament' I laughed. He looked down at me, brushed my hair from my face, and kissed my gently on the cheek.

'This isn't how I normally approach the ladies that I like' he said, almost a whisper. Then he stood, straightened his suit and covered me with a blanket.

'You get some rest, have fun tonight and I'll see you tomorrow' he said, he placed my keys on my bedside table and left, winking as he shut the door. I heard the front door close and I drifted off to sleep.

I woke later that afternoon, feeling much less drunk, but very confused. Did Eric tell me he liked me earlier? I couldn't remember much through the haze. I had a shower and got changed, by the time Steve arrived with my car I was ready to leave. We both walked the short distance into town, to the bar we were beginning the evening. Everyone had gathered, chatting and laughing. After a couple of hours my main group of friends and I made a quiet exit to our favourite pub. It was a very old, low roofed, almost medieval style place, nice and quiet. We remained there until closing time, talking about all our old adventures. When we were finally kicked out we made out way down the street, still laughing at each others staggering.

'So Miss Stackhouse' began Steve, 'after your many escapades with us, who are you going to go out drinking with in America?'

'Oh, I dunno, I probably won't bother till I get back' I told him, 'the beer is as weak as water'.

'So you aren't going to replace us with that tall guy from lunchtime' James piped up, clearly a bit jealous.

'How could I ever replace you guys' I asked, grabbing his cheeks like he was a small child, 'you guys are my buddies, my pals…'

We had wandered as far as the park near my house, Steve's house wasn't much further. We all sat down on the grass ignoring the fact it was nearly midnight, and the grass was quite wet. We hung around the park for a while, chatting and laughing more. Occasionally chasing one another round the grass. Eventually we said our goodbyes and hugged, I promised postcards and we all walked back to where we were each sleeping.

As I climbed into bed, all I could think about was the plane trip tomorrow, and spending 2 glorious months in California with some very interesting people.


	5. Chapter 5

Sorry its taken so long. I started a new job. Also had a few issues channelling Sookie. I'm sure I'll find her again. Hope you enjoy.

I woke up the next morning at almost noon, feeling like worn leather. Serves me right for drinking so much, all day. I lay there in bed a little while, watching the sunlight streaming through the window. I pulled myself up to sit against the wall and look through the window. The sky was a beautiful azure blue, not a cloud in sight. The birds were flying around, or sat in the trees, singing their springtime mating calls.

I slowly dragged myself to the bathroom to shower. I needed the setting on cold, what with the drunken recovery haze making me feel like my body temperature was close to boiling, and fragmented dreams involving a tall blonde prince rescuing me from a tower.

After I dressed, and moved my luggage to the door, I called Julie. She said she would look after my flat while I was away, and would head over to drive me to the airport. While I was waiting, I checked to make sure the fridge was empty and that nothing else as going to go nasty while I was away.

Soon there was a knock on the door, I opened it expecting to see Julie, but she was joined by Eric.

'hey, oh hey both of you' I stammered, surprised to see them both there.

'thought you might need a lift to the airport' said Eric,

I stood to the side to let them both in, Julie winked at me as she walked past.

'guess my services won't be needed' she said, with a large dose of amusement.

'I have to drop of my rental car at the airport' Eric continued, 'thought you might like to come with me'.

I handed my keys to Julie, who was smirking.

'that sounds like a good idea, it'll save Julie a trip' I told Eric.

We loaded my luggage into the back of Eric's car, I gave Julie a big hug and climbed into the passenger seat.

'take care, keep in touch' Julie told me through the window, 'and have a lot of fun' she finished, with a cheesy grin on her face.

'I'll do my best' I told her.

As we set off to the airport, I sat quietly not knowing what to say. I felt quite shy at the thought of spending couple of months working and living near this guy. His presence was kinda overwhelming me. I couldn't explain it, except that I didn't want to embarrass myself.

We arrived at the airport, and as we waited for the car rental man to check in the car, Eric looked over at me smiling at me softly.

'are you a little nervous?' he asked me.

'yeah, it's a very new experience for me' I replied, a lot quieter than intended.

'you'll be fine, we'll look after you'. he said, placing his arm around my shoulders and moving us towards the terminal.

We went through check-in smoothly, as a light packer, I had 10kg spare. Eric didn't, which amused me.

Moving through to the waiting area, we sat down near the gate and waited for it to open.

'so how long have you been working in that lab?' Eric asked, after a few minutes of silence.

'almost 6 years, I really love my job.' I smiled back, getting more nervous.

'what do you enjoy the most about it?' he continued

'I like the colour changes of my chemical tests, but mostly making companies pay for cleaning up the planet, that's what drives me' I said, with conviction.

'that's a good reason' he smiled and leaned back in his chair. I took a brief moment to admire him as he stretched. Quite a breath-taking sight. I had to pull myself together.

'I'm just popping to the ladies, I'll be right back' I said, and dashed off before I got any kind of reply.

I burst through the door of the bathroom and leaned myself up against the sink. I looked at myself in the mirror, seeing with horror that my face was bright red. I thought I might be blushing after my ogling, but this was traffic light red. I turned to face the mirror and stared at myself.

'get a grip, you're not this weak' I told myself firmly.

I splashed water on my face and smiled sheepishly as an old lady came out of one of the stalls and left hurriedly.

'you're better than this, there is nothing to fear, he's just some bloke' I told myself.

Thankfully the blush left my face quite quickly, and I made my way back out to where Eric sat, he looked relieved when he spotted me. I sat down next to him with my newly established confidence.

'glad you came back, I was worried you might have bolted' he said sitting up straight.

'me? Nah, I just needed a moment to gather myself, bit of a hangover.' I pointed to the gate, which had just started to open. We collected our bits and made our way on to the plane.

'I didn't realise you flew first class' I said to Eric as a stewardess showed us to our seats.

'well, its on company business so I think we deserve it' he replied.

We settled in, in very large seats next to each other, at the front of the first class area.

I was next to the window, and stared out of it as we began to take off. As the plane moved quicker down the runway I felt my grip on the armrests get tighter. I aren't scared of flying, I just don't like the take-off and landing. Just before the wheels left the ground, I felt a cool strong hand take hold of mine. I looked over, Eric was relaxing his head back, and had his eyes shut. Maybe he wasn't enjoying it either, I thought to myself. Thinking his method may work, I lay my head back and closed my eyes.

I must have fallen asleep, because when I opened my eyes, there was a hot cup of coffee in front of me.

'now that is a sight to wake up to' I said, reaching for the cup. I looked over at Eric, he had his laptop open and seemed deep in his work.

I quietly sipped the coffee and began to play with the screen attached to the chair. It had a map of the flight route with a little airplane to show us where we were. The little plane told me we were about 2 hours from Los Angeles. This was good news, flying is dull, I just wanted to arrive and get on with it.

After playing with the menu on the screen a little while longer I got bored and pulled a book from my bag.

I settled back with my current fave author, Agatha Christie, and continued to sip my coffee.

I'd just finished my second chapter when Eric closed his laptop with a bit of attitude and asked the stewardess for another cup of coffee.

'everything ok?' I asked.

'yeah, well not really. I was talking to my landlord and he has had to let the spare apartment out, even though I'd had it saved for you.' he said, briefly calming himself to graciously accept the coffee from the now clearly besotted stewardess.

'oh, well I have no problem staying in a motel, I'll be too knackered after work to care' I said, trying to ease his stress-out.

'there is another option' he said, turning to me and dropping his head he continued 'I have a spare room in my apartment. The door has a lock, so you'd have your own space.'

I sat there in shock for a moment, then I shook myself and answered him brightly.

'yeah, that could be fun.' I told him, and as he raised his head, 'you could show me what goes on in the area.' I finished.

'marvellous' he said, sitting back in his chair. He almost looked smug, liked it was all part of an elaborate plan. I pushed the paranoia from my head and settled into my seat for the landing.

The stewardess made her final round, clearing everything away in preparation for landing. As she gathered the cups we had she paused in front of Eric, after fumbling with her pocket she produced a piece of paper.

'scuse me, but if you'd like to grab a drink one night, you wanna give me a call?' she said, with a heavy dose of fake confidence.

'no thanks' Eric replied, and looked back down at the paper he was reading.

'oh' the stewardess mumbled and wandered off.

'that was a bit mean' I whispered to him when she had gone.

'I'm not interested in dating random people, I know what I want, and will happily wait until I get it' he whispered back, with a wry grin.

Stunning two women in five minutes is quite an achievement, so I sat back and braced myself for the landing.

After the seatbelt lights came on I grabbed my armrests, leaned back and closed my eyes. Soon I felt the soothing cool hand of Eric and I almost drifted off again.

When we slowed down to taxi speed I opened my eyes to see Eric watching me.

'oh, you can let go now, were almost there' I said jokingly.

'I guess' he said, slowly moving back 'you're just so warm.'

The plane arrived at the terminal and we moved through the airport. I kept close to Eric, he obviously knew where he was going.

When we emerged from the airport to get a taxi, the heat hit me like a blanket of steam.

'blimey' I gasped, pausing to catch my breath.

'not a fan of the heat?' Eric asked, taking my arm and moving out of the flow of people.

'I prefer to drink my water, not inhale it' I giggled, quoting a good book. Eric didn't get the reference.

'you'll get used to it, good job the lab is air conditioned' he laughed.

'yeah, otherwise I might just melt into the machinery' I said, I gathered my bags and headed with him to the taxi.

'maybe at least then we could guarantee they would work.' he said opening the door.

We climbed in and after Eric gave the driver directions, rather than an address, we sat back and I stared out at the alien scenery.

It was quite an amazing thing to think that me, little Sookie Stackhouse, was in LA working in my fave job with some very interesting people and one very handsome man. I had never left the country before, even on holiday. Now I was working in one of the most glamorous places on the planet.

I watched the world go by for about 10 minutes, until the driver pulled up at a pair of iron gates.

I followed Eric out of the taxi and up to the gate, he mumbled something into a little box on one side of the gate. After a moment the gate opened and we walked up to a very large house.


	6. Chapter 6

This is a bit of a long one, I got a bit swept up in the events…

Hope you like it J

Set back about 20 feet from the main road, and almost completely surrounded by trees, there stood a large white house. At the front door stood a very smartly dressed elderly man.

'Eric, I would have picked you up if you'd called' said the old man, greeting Eric in the doorway.

'you must be Sookie, I'm so sorry about the apartment, my sister has come to visit and I was sure Eric could make some alternative arrangements.'

'that's fine, its nice to meet you' I replied, this was starting to sound even more like Eric had practised convincing me to stay with him.

'this is Mr Cataliades, the landlord. He's a good friend' Eric explained as we walked into the house and up to the first grand door on the right side of the entrance hall.

Eric opened the door and carried the luggage inside. I followed, soon pausing to stare around the room. It was large and brightly lit and beautiful. A huge corner sofa sat on one side of the room, bookshelves against the walls, a kitchen separated from the main room by only a counter. Two doors led off the left wall.

'this one is you room' Eric said, moving to the left door and opening it. 'and I'm right next door' he finished opening his door and putting his cases just inside.

'lovely place' I managed to say.

I wandered to my room, still spotting paintings or little sculptures. When I finally moved my eyes into the bedroom I was again amazed at the room. A large bed faced an open window, with what I thought might be more of door. On the opposite wall was a door into a bathroom

I put my bag down by the bed and moved to the window. The scenery was lovely, even though the garden was maybe only 10 feet wide, it managed to look like it went on and on. The breeze coming in through the window was warm, and slightly scented. Something gorgeous was flowering nearby.

After I'd freshened up a little and changed my clothes I went back into the main apartment. Eric was stood in the kitchen and I could instantly smell coffee. I walked up to the counter and sat down, watching Eric work.

'how do you take you coffee?' Eric asked, turning and showing off a very fetching apron.

'um' I giggled 'milk and one sugar please' I tried and failed to contain myself. The frilly apron was too much.

'something amusing you?' Eric asked, waggling a spoon at me.

'me? Oh, just life in general, always happy.' I replied, with a big cheesy grin.

He passed me a large cup of hot coffee and after pouring his own, joined me at the counter.

'we have tomorrow free to relax, unless you have something you want to do, I have a few suggestions.' Eric stated, sounding quite excited.

'I could do with a trip to buy toiletries, but other than that, I'd be grateful for your inspiration' I told him

'how tired are you today?' he asked,

'that depends, what time is it?' I replied.

'its about half past 8, how tired are you now?' he asked, curious.

'oh, that's not bad, I'm about normal for half past 8, why what's your plan?'

'well, some of my friends are having a BBQ, I thought you might like to go relax.' he explained, 'they live down by the beach, and its so peaceful in that area.'

'yeah sure, sounds like fun.'

We finished our coffee and I went to get changed into more appropriate clothing, a flouncy summer dress with flip-flops. I looked at my handbag and wondered if there was any point? I didn't have keys or cash or anything. I felt a little bare without it, so I put some mints in it and took it anyway.

Eric was waiting for me, lounged on the sofa. I took another brief moment to admire the view. I shifted my eyes when I saw him begin to move.

'you ready to go?' he asked as he stood.

'yep, do I need anything? Like ID?' I asked suddenly remembering the age laws. I look a bit younger than my age, young enough for people to want to check.

'it's a private party, plus I can always get you a drink' he smirked as we left the apartment.

Outside the front of the house Eric strode up to a big comfy looking car. He opened a door and then laughed as I walked around to the other side, only to realise this was an American car and everything was on the other side. I mumbled something about revolutionaries as I walked back around the car and climbed in.

I felt like a small child sat in the passenger seat of the car, but I was also getting excited about being the mystery woman, at least for a little while.

'you'll get on with my friends, you seem to have similar ideas about life' Eric said after we'd been driving for a little while.

'you've already figured out my philosophy?' I asked

'yeah, you're a bit of a hippy, but not too much, you're a bit punk, and a little something else' he stated, like it was written on my passport.

'oh, I guess. Not far of at all' I replied, a little blankly.

'so what did I miss?' he asked

'not entirely sure myself, I'll let you know' I told him, and went back to staring out of the window.

He must be guessing, or playing to the mystery of a new acquaintance. He couldn't possibly know there as something different, I was very adept at hiding it. At least I had answered honestly, I didn't know what it was either.

After leaving the city, we drove along the coast for a little while. Soon we pulled up to a nice house right next to the beach, the party was already in full swing.

Eric parked the car to one side and we walked to the front door. I was nervous about meeting his friends and he must have sensed it because before knocking on the door, he placed his arm around my shoulders and gave me a little squeeze.

The door was opened by Pam, which was quite a shock. She didn't seem surprised to see me though.

We mingled with the crowd for a while, Eric seemed to be showing me off, and only partly as a new co-worker.

Pam rescued me from talking to some business people, and took me out onto the back porch. The beach was only 30 feet from the porch and the sea which as apparently at high tide, about 50 feet further.

'we're so glad you decided to join us for a while' Pam said, looking out across the pacific. 'who knows, we may yet convince you to stay.'

'oh, that would be quite a big decision. Also it would depend on whether I was as good as you think I am' I replied, very surprised.

'I'm sure you'll be wonderful' she said, 'Eric certainly seems to think so.'

'oh, you think?' I asked innocently.

'oh Sookie, you think he's always like this?' she asked, amused.

'he just seems friendly to me, that's quite normal' I told her.

'your just the sweetest, most innocent…. But nevermind that. I must return to the boring talk of business, please enjoy the party and I'll see you Monday.' she chuckled, then turned and walked back into the house.

I stood for a moment and tried to clear my head. This is not what I expected, maybe hoped for, but I never thought someone like Eric could be interested in me. I placed my glass o the edge of the porch and walked down to the beach. Carrying my flip-flops in my hand I walked towards the ocean, the sound was so peaceful. I stopped before I reached the water and inhaled the clean air, this was such a beautiful place and I had such good fortune to be here. I wasn't going to get carried away, or be talked into liking someone. I had to clear away all suggestions and work on the facts, after all, I am a scientist.

The facts, however, didn't help.

As I stood there, listening to the waves lapping near my feet and the distant sound of the party, I became aware someone was behind me. Before I could open my eyes, a hand came to rest on my shoulder and a warm voice broke the relative quiet.

'you enjoying the peace?' Eric asked.

'yeah, just amazed I'm looking at such an expanse of ocean. I've seen it on a map, but its mind-bending how much ocean there is out there.'

Eric didn't reply, so I turned to see what reaction I'd got. He was just stood smiling.

'you seem like a very contented person, every time I look at you your smiling' I told him.

'I smile when there's something to be happy about.'

I wasn't going to ask about that, I felt I would be pushing my luck.

'you want to head back to the apartment? Or would you like to stay a little longer?' he asked

'I think I'm ready to face my jetlag' I told him, 'apartment please'

We walked back through the house saying goodbyes, and to the car. I settled into the passenger seat and opened the window a little, so I could watch the ocean until the last minute.

At some point on the journey I fell asleep, I woke a little and found myself being carried by Eric. He placed me gently on the bed, covered me with a sheet and kissed my forehead before closing the door as he left. I was so comfy I didn't even wriggle out of my dress, I just fell fast asleep.

I awoke suddenly to the sensation of being shaken, my first thought being 'that bloody earthquake waited until I got here'. I sat bolt upright and opened my eyes ready to assess my escape route, but came face to face with Eric.

'sorry I startled you' he said, backing up 'only its lunch time and I thought you may want to be woken.'

'oh no, its ok.' I said, flattening my crazy bed hair 'I'm just not used to being woken by something not electronic.'

'you take your time, we can have lunch when your ready' he said as he left, quietly closing the door.

I staggered to the bathroom and peeled off my dress, climbed into the shower and melted into the warm spray. After savouring the water for a few moments, I rushed through the washing of everything. I sprayed a little perfume and popped on a different coloured dress and went into the apartment trying to look like I hadn't rushed.

Eric was sat on the sofa reading a book, I had another moment to admire his form as I approached.

'you need any help preparing lunch?' I asked, 'I'm quite useful in the kitchen'

'what? A scientist that can cook? I didn't know they existed' he joked, turning to face me.

'sure, its just a different type of science, with many variables.'

'ok, you can give me a hand, lets see what we have' he said, moving over to the kitchen.

We pottered around the kitchen, peeling and chopping. Suddenly Eric turned to me, spark of inspiration in his eyes.

'we should go up to this little spot I know, I'll grab the BBQ, I'll go great together' he turned and strode across the room before I had chance to react.

When he came back he placed a picnic basket on the counter and smiled.

'I'll load the car if you could pack the food?' he said, watching my reaction. 'there's some meat in the fridge,'

'yeah, this sounds fun, I'll be right out' I said on auto-pilot.

I gathered everything together as Eric disappeared out of the door again, making sure the meat was kept utterly separate from the rest. As I walked from the apartment I saw Eric filling the boot of his car with deckchairs and a small BBQ.

I climbed in the passenger seat and buckled up, holding the basket on my lap.

Eric soon joined me, filled with the excitement of a child, we set off.

This turned into a trip along the coast in the other direction, soon we were high above the sea driving along a cliff top. Eric pulled over and got out of the car, I followed. He pointed down a small path across the road, which led up a hill.

'this place is amazing' I said, turning back to him. He had a very pleased-with-himself look.

'the hill flattens at the top, and the view is perfect, we can relax in the sun and you can adjust to the time zone' he stated. Yes, he was very please with his efforts.

'awesome, so what time is it now?' I asked, hoping to adjust like he had said.

'its almost half past one, the perfect time for a picnic' he said, moving to open the boot of the car and remove the contents.

'here, hand me a deckchair. Your hands are full anyway' I told him before he injured himself, I aren't bad at nursing, but not the general direction of my hopes.

We made our way up the hill and set up our chairs. It was gorgeous up here, the scenery only rivalled by the company. As we sat there, not yet ready to fire the BBQ up and picking at carrot sticks, we seemed contented with each others company without needing to talk. Then again, I couldn't manage to think of anything worthy of breaking the silence, or anything that wouldn't make me look like a geek.

'oh, I almost forgot, I'll be right back' Eric said suddenly, after what felt like hours.

He dashed off down the hill, still looking elegant. I sat there and watched him a moment, soaking up the heat, watching him walk and open the car seemed to take ages and my eyelids began to feel heavy.

Didn't realise I had been asleep until I heard voices that weren't Eric. I opened my eyes and sat up straighter in my chair.

'hey sleepyhead, how you feeling? Eric asked quietly,

'oh, I shouldn't have done that, what time is it?' I asked, slightly confused.

'its only 3pm, you weren't asleep long' he replied, and handed me a beer. 'these guys live nearby, and we aren't far from the lab, figured you could get to know them a bit tonight, save you some time tomorrow.'

'that's really clever, I can see why Pam regards you so highly' I said, then wishing I hadn't.

'really? What was she telling you?' he asked, 'I guess I do keep the office running well'

'yes, definatly, that was it, very impressed' I managed to throw a sentence together, apparently convincingly too.

'Bill's over there, and some of his team, and Sam's here with a few people from his team.' we walked over to where the strangers were congregated. Bill nodded at me, Sam came over more enthused.

'hey Sookie, how you liking the heat so far?' Sam asked,

'its very hot, but I'm sure I'll be fine, excited to start at the lab tomorrow' I replied, hoping not to sound like a creep.

'oh good, everyone's dying to meet you, they sounded thrilled when I rang them Friday' he said,

We stood and talked for a while, then everyone seemed to gather a deckchair and we all sat around the beer boxes and BBQ. Eric started up the BBQ so I chatted to everyone, finding out where they worked and what tests they did. I admitted after a short while how much of a geek I was, they seemed relieved that I was normal but eccentric. I figure being British, that was inevitable.

When they were talking amongst themselves I walked over to see how Eric was doing.

'you need any help?' I asked

'nah, I'm good, its 5pm by the way' he smiled down at me.

'thanks, this really was the greatest idea, I was a bit nervous about tomorrow, but now I know they're all ok it'll be a lot easier' I told him, putting my hand on his arm. Hmm nice muscles.

As the evening wore on we all settled down and began talking about funny stories and gross things from the labs we'd worked in.

'one of the team leaders I worked with fainted when he cut his thumb in the lab' Judith said, she was a nice girl who worked in Bill's team and made fawn eyes at him all night, without being noticed.

'haa ha ha, one of my chemistry teachers tasted a chemical I made one, its smelt of pineapples but from his reaction it didn't taste as good' I offered,

'we did a experiment at university and the test tube disintegrated in my hand, that freaked me out' said Sam, utterly loving the staff interaction. He had told me earlier that he thought we should do this sort of thing more, good for team moral.

'when I was studying, my classmate's experiment blew up, and took out half of the lab, we were all showered in glass dust.' Bill said, a bit coldly. But it still engrossed Judith

'that must have been scary' she said to him,

'yes, thankfully I was on my way out of the room, and the only other person nearby was the lab tech in the next room' he continued, 'but it made a hell of a mess.'

'this almost makes me wish I worked in a lab, all I have to offer is that I managed to staple my thumb when I refilled the photocopier' Eric said, a bit forlorn.

'That's weak, haven't you ever had wheelie chair races or put decaff in the coffee machine? I asked him

'never really thought about any of that' he said, 'guess you'll have to teach my department too' he smiled and looked at Bill.

'hey I told you, Pam allowed me to use her skills first, stop trying to steal her' Bill said, quite offended.

'chill out man, I'm sure eveything will work out perfectly, she might even replace that pain in all our asses' Sam said, starting to sound a little drunk.

I looked to Eric for some kind of explanation, he was busy holding in a laugh.

'Sookie, I believe Sam is refering to the deputy manager, her name is Joy. She couldn't make it this evening' Bill explained.

'yeah, Joy' Sam said, and made some pffft noise, 'the most joyless woman on the planet, which is why she isn't here. Probably busy with ruining someone else's day' he continued.

The talking continued for a while longer, until the sun had set and people were starting to look a little bleary.

'its 9pm' Eric almost whispered, putting his head close to mine. I turned to smile at him and found our faces very close.

'thanks' I whispered back.

'I'm gonna head off' Sam said standing and walking in the opposite direction to the cars, 'see y'all in the morning'.

'is he gonna be ok?' I asked, slightly concerned.

'yeah, he lives in the houses just through those trees.' Eric replied.

Within about 10 minutes most of the visitors had left, Bill was helping Judith to his car, she was sloshed or possibly faking it to get Bill alone. Good luck to her.

I gathered up the bits of rubbish and bottle while Eric carried the deckchairs to the car. He cooled the BBQ and bagged in to go away too, then we headed home. Home, my second night and I was already so comfortable. Would I stay? Could I?

When we arrived back at the apartment Eric opened the car door for me.

'shall I put the kettle on' I said, weary but not ready for bed.

'yes, you go do that, I'll be there in a moment' he said patting my shoulder.

I dragged myself inside and shuffled to the kitchen, this was definitely auto-pilot, I filled the kettle and boiled it. I made two cups of tea and went to go sit on the sofa. When Eric came in, I was almost fast asleep again.

'tea made already?' he asked sitting down,

'yep, well practised, milk one sugar? I countered,

'yeah, how did you know?' he said, reaching for the cup

'I have no idea.' I told him. I did have an idea, it just wasn't logical.

We sat there on the sofa next to each other drinking our tea and chatting about the people I had met earlier. When we had both finished our tea, Eric took the cups to the kitchen. I thought about moving briefly, and decided it was too much effort. Eric came back and sat a tiny bit closer than before. I could feel his head moving towards me before I saw it. I was trying to ignore him, reading a book he'd shown me.

'its half past ten' he whispered, his breath tickling my neck.

'crap, I should go to bed' I said moving to get up, 'I hope you don't think I sleep this much normally' I said as I moved around his legs.

'its fine, you've travelled a long way and done a lot this weekend.' he said, remaining on the sofa.

'great, I'll see you in the morning, what time do you set off?' I was moving past the kitchen now.

'I usually set off round half past seven, if that's ok' he replied.

'perfect, see you then, night' and I disappeared inside my room.

I sat on my bed for a moment, every cell of my body wanted to go and kiss that man, he was considerate and kind. I hoped with every fibre of my being that he was trying to win me over and that he liked me. Pam seemed to think so, but what was going on with his reaction to her name. very odd.

As I thought things over I got ready for bed, nearly sitting on the laptop I'd left out to remind me to email Julie.

'dammit' I thought to myself, I meant to ask Eric if he had the internet.

I walked to my door, ignoring my pyjama wearing state, and looked around the living area for him, nothing.

I took a step forward and looked into his bedroom through the wide open door.

'oh shit, I'm so sorry' I gasped, and ran into my room. Eric had been stood in front of his bed, naked, one foot in his pyjama bottoms.


	7. Chapter 7

Wow, another chapter so soon. I got inspired, reading a story called 'changing it all' by FODforever on the communities section. I didn't copy, I promise. It just showed me Sookie's possibilities, and I guess my Sookie is more like theirs then Charlaine Harris, maybe my Sookie is more like 30 years old….

I digress, hope you enjoy the chapter, let me know what you think, even if it that I've lost my marbles J

Within seconds of me reaching my bed, unsure of what to do with the vision, the was a light tapping on the door.

'Sookie? I'm sorry, I'm not used to sharing my place, I thought you were in bed' Eric said quietly through the door.

'its fine' I called, a little panic in my voice. I had rarely seen men naked, and they never looked that god before.

'can I come in a moment?' Eric asked. Oh, hell. Could I talk to him without seeing his bare flesh?

'sure' I called out. Apparently my head thought I could. Eric opened the door slowly and peeked his head around.

'I'm clothed now' he smiled, and opened the door wider.

'I'm not used to sharing space either' I said to him as he walked slowly towards me.

He sat down on the bed next to me and all I wanted to do was kiss him.

'guess that's something we can lean together' he said quietly, 'hope it didn't scare you too much.'

'scare? No' I said, 'surprise, would be closer'

'you get some sleep now' he said, leaned over and kissed me on the temple. He stood and moved towards the door. 'oh, why were you looking for me?'

'not important, night night' I said, wishing I had a valid reason to keep him here.

He left my room and I heard him close his door. I lay down and pulled the sheet over me, it was going to be difficult getting to sleep after that encounter. Every time I closed my eyes, he was stepping out of the pyjamas, not in.

After what felt like hours, I resorted to my old sleep starter - Dr Who dreams. I closed my eyes and thought about the tardis appearing in my house, running down corridors, talking scientific jargon, meeting weird aliens. It helped, but in the background I could still see a glimpse of the man sleeping in the room next to mine.

I must have fallen asleep, because I was woken by the sun streaming in through the window. I looked at the clock by the bed. 6am, that seemed like a reasonable time, at least I won't forget anything today.

I got showered, and dressed in a pair of jeans and a shirt, the tipped out my suitcase to find my trainers. It felt insane, going out in the heat wearing anything that wasn't utterly necessary. I had worn less in the past, but when your working in the lab, every layer counts. I had a few scars to prove my point.

When I'd gathered all the things my boss wanted me to take, which probably wouldn't leave my bag, I got my personal notebook and wallet and quietly went into the living area. It didn't seem like Eric was up yet, it was only 6.30am though.

I put the coffee machine on and checked my appearance in the oven door.

By the time Eric emerged, I was perched on a stool by the counter. He looked a little rocky, maybe the jetlag was hitting him now?

'you feeling ok?' I asked, 'fancy a coffee?'

'yeah, that sounds good. I didn't get much sleep, weird dreams.' he sat down at the counter while I made him coffee.

'really?' I said, hoping he would keep talking, he looked even hotter with tousled hair and sleepy eyes.

'yeah, corridors and aliens, its was all very strange' he said taking his cup and drinking in steadily.

Eek, did my dreams broadcast? That hadn't happened before, I think.

'Well you take it easy today and I'll cook when we get home' I offered,

'hmm that's sounds good' he mumbled into his cup,

We finished our coffee's quietly, Eric hugging his cup, and me watching him look adorable.

It got to about 7.20am and neither of us had made a move to leave. I collect our empty and cold cups and put them in the sink. Eric look up, startled at the movement.

'this isn't how I had hoped your first day would start, I was going to get up and make you breakfast' he said, slowly standing.

'that's a sweet thought, but you can't help it if you don't feel great' I walked around the counter and patted his shoulder. I went and grabbed my bag and double checked the contents.

When I looked back at him, he was slowly moving from the stool and putting his jacket on. This was going to be a long day for him, I may have to plan something else to chill him out tonight.

We made it to the car, I almost offered to drive, but Eric seemed to be perking up a bit. Maybe it was the coffee. The journey was quiet, Eric occasionally pointed out things, and talked a bit about the building we worked in. He managed to slip in how to get to the offices from the lab effortlessly.

We arrived at the building, and Eric walked me to Pam's office. Before he opened the door he gave me a one-armed hug and said he'd see me later.

I knocked on Pam's door, it was answered very quickly but a short man, looking annoyed he'd been interrupted.

'you must be Sookie' he said with distaste, 'Ms Ravenscroft is waiting for you'. he said pointing to a door across the room.

I moved forward and knocked on the door indicated. A small noise came from within telling me to enter, I opened the door slowly.

Pam was sat behind her desk looking gorgeous and breezy. I stepped inside and closed the door.

'had a good weekend?' she asked before I sat down,

'yeah its lovely here, so beautiful.' I told her, asking myself if I should quiz her about Eric, or whether that was too personal for the work place. I soon found out.

'I hope Eric has taken care of your every need' she said, emphasizing the 'every'.

'he has been very helpful, and thoughtful' I said, stalling. 'what did you mean about what you said on Saturday?'

'Eric is quite a good friend, for an employee, I find myself caring about his feelings and whether or not he is content'. said told me, looking confused. 'he seems to have really take a shine to you, and you to him, I'm simply nudging you in the right direction' she smiled a wicked scheming smile.

'now lets get you to work, I didn't just hire you to flirt with my office manager' she stood and led me out of the door and across the hall.

'grab a labcoat, they are hung in size order' she retrieved hers from a separate locker, it was shockingly white. 'follow me, I'll give you a tour and get your security sorted.' I followed her down the corridors, having a brief flashback to my dreams last night. After I had become completely lost, we halted at a door.

'this is the lab you will start in, I'll take you in shortly,' she began, and explained her main reason for needing me was to sort out what about the lab was working and what wasn't. if that meant I worked on the samples or retraining the staff that's ok, implementing method changes would have to be approved by her. This seemed fair, so we walked into the lab. I saw the most of the people within had been at the BBQ last night, I smiled at them all and let Pam say her thing.

Pam left me in the capable hands of Bill, who showed me the different tests, I had a chat with each person about what they did and got to know them a bit better. Time seemed to fly past, I managed to look up at the clock between machines and noticed it was already 11am.

I had a look at their sample storage and had just opened up one of the broken machines to have a tinker when there was a cough from behind me. I turned to see Eric smiling down at me.

'just can't keep you from dismantling machines, can we?' he asked,

'just teaching the machines who is boss, I can fiddle with their programming and there is nothing they can do, except behave' I said, turning to the machine for the last half of my speech.

'I must remember not to annoy you' he said as I stared out an inanimate object. I turned to wink at him,

'you're ok, I don't do organics'.

'you fancy some lunch?' he said, looking at me as I expected after letting my geekyness dribble out.

'yeah sure, you seem a lot perkier' I replied,

'I think it was that coffee you made me this morning, really livened me up' he said, leading me out of the room. We moved down a couple of corridors, as I giggled quietly to myself, and reached an outside door.

We walked down the road a little and into a cute little café, it was just how I imagined an American diner to look. Bench seats around little tables, and a long counter lined with stools, it was all a bit beige like the inside of a posh car.

We sat down at a table and a waitress dropped by with the menu.

'this place is so cool' I whispered across the table

'thought you might like it' Eric whispered back.

'hey guys, didn't expect to see you here' came a voice from across the room. Sam walked over with his normal enthusiasm. 'mind if I join you' he said as he sat down next to Eric. A girl followed his movement and sat down by me.

'hi, I'm Lynn' she said, I introduced myself and we returned to facing the men as they talked.

'so Sookie, how's your first day going?' Sam asked,

'great, everyone is so nice, and I already have a few ideas to run past Pam' I said, mirroring his enthusiasm.

'she is gonna love you, she won't want you to go home' Sam told me.

'I heard that already, she asked what it would take for me to consider staying' I said, confused 'I don't understand I hadn't been in the lab half an hour when she called me out into the corridor'

Eric's face went slightly pale.

After that little incident the lunch moved along normally, talking about our lives, work, people we'd worked with. We all walked back to the building together, and I didn't get a chance to talk to Eric due to being ushered into the lab still discussing technology.

The afternoon flew by as quickly as the morning had, I managed to fix one machine and had solved a software problem on another, feeling pretty pleased with myself I walked down to Pam's office half an hour before the end of the day to give a quick report.

Her secretary, Bobby I'd been told, greeted me with as much affection as this morning. I had to wait this time, she was in a meeting.

After a short while her door opened, Bill emerged looking annoyed. Pam then appeared in the door way.

'Sookie, perfect timing, please come in' she said moving to allow me to pass, but not taking her eyes off Bill for a moment. Something had surely happened there, but it was none of my business, and I really didn't want to piss Pam off.

I walked to the chair near her desk and she moved around it to hers.

'Have you thought about my offer?' she said as she gracefully seated herself.

'um, yeah, but that's not why I'm here' I said, slightly thrown by her urgency.

'oh, your report. What have you found so far?' she asked. I filled her in about the minor things first, and then the two major things, comparing the upheaval to the amount of cash it would save her. Talking business, I learned that it helped them do the right thing a few years ago.

'well, that's very comprehensive' she said, 'just think what you could accomplish with more time'

'Pam, can I be frank?' I asked,

'I prefer Sookie, but go for it' she smirked, ahh a sense of humour.

'Pam, why are you so eager for me to stay, you have barely seen my work but seem desperate to spend money on getting me to live and work here?' it felt better to get that out.

'Frank, Sookie, whoever. I spoke to you team leader, manager, co-workers all who assured me you were an excellent worker and an amazing person all round. You have enthusiasm for the job, you know all the technical stuff, you can save me thousands of dollars, and Eric is falling in love with you, do I need to think of any more or is that sufficient?' she paused, not out of breath like she should have been. 'from what I have seen to this point, everyone is correct and I wish to procure your perfection'.

'oh' was all I managed. My brain had heard the Eric word but was refusing to acknowledge its existence.

'you just think about the opportunities for you if you were to stay' Pam said, 'and I'll stop bugging you about it.. For a while'

'thanks, ok so do I come in and do the same thing again tomorrow?' I asked as I stood to leave.

'ah yes, I meant to mention, you'll be in Sam's lab tomorrow, until further noticed. He's had a few issues appear over last week' she replied, like she hadn't just chewed up a bit of Bill and spat it out.

'ok, I'll head there in the morning, night Pam' I said and left her office.

'night Bobby' I said as I closed the outer door, that's the ticket, kill him with kindness.

I had just closed the door and spun into Eric's chest,

'ah, I was just coming to look for you' he said, 'you ready to go?'

'I will be in a minute, just wanna grab my bag and we can leave' I said. We walked back to the lab together in silence, I retrieved my bag, said my good-nights and walked to the car with Eric. Somehow the silence was more uncomfortable this time, then I remembered his face in the diner.

We were about half way home when I summoned up enough courage to talk.

'is everything ok?' I asked timidly.

'yeah, maybe the coffee is finally wearing off, I've been on fire at work today' he said, staying very focussed.

'its just you seemed um… shocked, in the diner at lunch' I was going to try the gentle approach.

'shocked? What when Sam started telling dirty jokes?' he replied, clearly covering…

'when I said Pam had asked me to stay' I said, filled with determination, but still sounding like a mouse.

'oh, that' he said, I could tell he was thinking, so I gave him time.

'I wasn't surprised she asked you, jus that she hadn't waited to see if you liked it here' he stammered, 'it makes a big difference, if you were to enjoy yourself here, you might be more likely to stay' he continued, totally bluffing his way through this one.

'did you tell her this?' I asked casually, relaxing back in my seat and looking out of the window.

'yeah' he replied, 'she was pretty adamant she could tell you already were'

'oh' I said.

We didn't talk for the rest of the journey, but upon entering the apartment the whole day seemed to lift off our shoulders.

'so do you have any preference as to your evening meal?' I said, doing my posh accent. It seemed to amuse Eric.

'surely as the guest, you should be relaxing with a glass of wine while I tend to your every need.' he replied, trying out a posh accent, and sounding more scottish.

'certainly not, you have provided me with a roof, I must show my appreciation by showing off my skills' the end of that little speech was less posh and more 'street'. Eric laughed again.

I walked behind the counter, and looked in the fridge. Eric sat on a stool to chat.

'so what are the options?' he asked, I opened up a cupboard to survey the supplies. Feeble, and basic.

'well, I can do Italian, Chinese, burgers, English or maybe Mexican' I said looking into another cupboard and finding some spices.

'oh, wow' Eric replied, 'um, I guess Italian would be good.'

'marvellous, what shape? Spaghetti? Lasagne? Cannelloni? Or pizza?' I asked, watching his face drop in surprise. 'told you I could cook, consider it rent'

'ok, how about cannelloni? I haven't had that before' he said,

'great, you go relax, I'll get it sorted.' I told him, he followed my order after getting a beer from the fridge.

'I could get used to this' he said as he sat on the sofa. So could I, I thought to myself.


	8. Chapter 8

Thanks for your wonderful reviews, they make me all warm and fuzzy. Hope I aren't using too much English slang for those who aren't from around here. I had to re-write this a couple of times. I'm rubbish at talking to men myself (even though I'm married) and I have tried and failed miserably to start conversations, usually with people who end up thinking I'm a freak.

Ho hum… hope you enjoy. I'll look forward to any and all reviews J

Much love and respect to Charlaine Harris who invented this magical world, and to Alexander Skarsgard for being the perfect Eric.

In a flurry of activity I made cannelloni, having to soak pasta sheets when I found no tubes. It was messy but those are usually the best dishes. I cooked the meat, rolled it, covered it in special sauce (Bolognese with Worcestershire sauce) and put it in the oven covered in cheese.

'it'll be about 20 minutes' I told Eric as I washed my hands.

'it already smells wonderful' he called back from the sofa.

'that's the onions' I said as I grabbed a beer a settled on the sofa near him.

'and there's the science' Eric laughed.

'hey, mr office man, I can't help it, it's a thing I do' I said, and punched his arm.

'it is a bit of a second nature thing for you' he said, turning to look at me.

'like I can see how things work without having to look it up in a book. Science seems so natural, even though that sounds insane'. I blurted, my brain seems to have focussed on looking at his muscles straining at his shirt, and my mouth is wandering off on its own…

'you make pretty good sense to me' he said, punching my arm and taking another drink of his beer. 'hey, do you wanna do anything tonight, or should we watch a film?' he asked, catching me off guard.

'oh, um a film sounds good, I just need to email my friend. Do you have the internet?'

'yeah, I'll get you the code. Is that the girl at your house on Saturday morning?' he asked, moving to a chest of drawers and getting a small card.

'yeah, Julie. I just wanted to check in with her and see how things are.'

'cool, its wireless so you can sit out here or in your room.' he sat back down with me and handed me the card.

'great, I'll send her one now, while the food cooks' I said, moving to my room to get my laptop. My ulterior motive was hard at work, getting everything done before spending a peaceful evening with Eric. Maybe if he drinks a few more beers he'll be a bit looser with information.

I plugged myself in sitting on my bed, just to get this email out o the way. Didn't want him glimpsing it, Julie was my fountain of good advise and she would know what to do.

After what felt like infinity for my laptop to load up, I wrote a short plea to Julie.

"dear Julie,

How's work? Are they handling everything ok? The boss here, Pam, is very insistent that I should consider staying on permanently. But she kept dropping hints about how the tall blonde Eric likes me and how I obviously like him. Please impart your unnatural knowledge, oh mighty Julie.

Hope you are having fun

Sookie"

After making sure it was sent, and checking for any in the inbox, I shut my laptop down and went to check on dinner.

I must have calculated the temperature wrong, because dinner was ready, and almost on the verge of burnt. I rescued it and allowed it to cool slightly while I gathered bowls and cutlery.

'its ready if you are' I called to Eric. I placed all the mats and bowls on the table, with one in the centre for the dish.

As I brought the dish over, Eric's eyes lit up, it must have been quite a while since anyone cooked for him.

'that looks delicious' he said, waiting for me to dish up. I spooned out some for each of us and waited for a reaction.

Eric took his first bite, I held my breath.

'mmm, that is gorgeous' he said, pushing more onto his fork.

'glad you think so' I said, and began eating mine.

After finishing the meal, Eric took the dishes to the kitchen and put them in a dishwasher.

That seemed to go rather well, I thought to myself, but now I have to have courage for this evening.

'Coffee?' Eric called from across room,

'no thanks, the beer is fine' I replied, would getting him tipsy make him talk? Or would I just be more inclined to act silly? We'd have to see.

We sat down on the sofa and looked through the tv guide.

'so are you from California?' I asked him, struggling to find something to talk about.

'no, I moved here as a child' he replied, flicking to the movie listings.

'oh? So your family live nearby?' I continued,

'no, I don't really have any family' he said, concentrating on the page he was reading.

'oh, I'm sorry' I couldn't think of anything else. I know what its like to have few relatives, life must have been hard for him.

'its fine, I was an only child, my parents had me late in their life, they've been gone about 10 years now' he turned to me, 'what about you? Were you born in the city we found you in?'

'yeah, well close by' I told him.

'and your family?' he asked,

'I have a brother, but I don't really talk to him, and my grandma died a few years ago' I said, feeling a pang of pain about gran.

'I'm sorry, guess we have more in common than we thought' he said, looking straight into my eyes.

His eyes bore into me, they were the bluest eyes I had ever seen. Like a crystal clear lake on a sunny day.

He broke eye contact first, reaching for the remote. I rearranged myself, finding I had been leaning a little closer to him.

'how about this?' he said, flicking onto a channel.

'is that 'Shadow of the vampire'? doesn't it have Eddie Izzard in it?' I asked, surprised at his choice.

'yeah, I like how the actor playing Max Schreck really followed the same method acting style' he said,

'oh, but that's not it, the guy is actually Count Orlok, pretending to be an actor staying in character' I told him, he looked nicely surprised. 'its one of my favourite films, along with the original Nosferatu'.

As the film wore on, we drank a few more beers and we arrived at the crucial part where we find out Count Orlok's payment for the acting is the leading lady.

'see?' I nudged him,

'I must have missed that last time, that's an interesting idea though' he said, moving a little closer 'hey, you think any of those vampires on TV are real vampires?' he joked

'nah, too many pictures of them grocery shopping or having lunch.' I thought about the idea for a moment longer, wishing the ideas on such TV shows could be real. Would certainly help me with those headaches I get.

The film ended and Eric collected the empty bottles, taking them through to one of his assorted recycling bins.

'you fancy another? Its almost 10pm' he called from the kitchen,

'yeah, one more might help me sleep' I said, this could be my last chance to get him to talk more

He brought the beers over and switched the TV to the news channel. It was quite funny, the newscaster was cheesy and the music before the commercial break was dodgy.

'the people here seem so optimistic, its strange seeing such joy on the news' I said, taking another drink.

'Are Americans optimistic? Or are you British just depressed' he laughed

'we're not depressed, we're realists. My theory is, if you plan for every disaster you'll never be disappointed but nicely surprised each time things go right' I said, hitting him with a cushion.

'nope, that's just you. All the others I met at your lab were just depressing.' he said, gaining revenge with a cushion from his side.

'like who?' I demanded, standing up for my co-workers and my country.

'James was miserable, you clearly knocked him back more than once. Your manager was depressed, clearly feeling inferior to her staff's competency. I'm pretty sure right now your team leader is depressed, because you are here.' he listed, checking off his fingers as he went.

'James wasn't depressed, he just hated you. For some reason he thinks you are competition. My manager has always been that way, she may be miserable but she still instils fear in all of us, my team leader will be fine, my team will look after her.' I exclaimed each of my points, hitting him relentlessly.

Eric grabbed my cushion, leaving me defenceless, and leaned towards me. I braced myself.

'so you can stay' he stated simply. Still holding the cushions above his head.

'what?' I peeked out from behind my arms,

'well if James doesn't matter, you don't like your manager and your team leader is fine, you may as well stay' he said, still threatening cushion death.

'there are other considerations, why so eager? My cooking can't be that good' I said, moving my arms down a little further.

'I like the company' he said simply, bopping me on the head lightly with a cushion.

'oh, so you came on the trip to my lab to find a flat mate?' I asked, trying to grab one of the cushions and missing, earning another bop on the head.

'no silly, you were going to be staying at Bill's house, its bigger, but I asked Pam and…' he stopped short.

'rescued me from boredom?' I added, memorizing his words.

'yeah, rescued' he said, sounding distant. I took the opportunity to grab a cushion and bop him on the head.

'glad we had this chat' I said, hoping to distract him 'must consider getting a better weapon for next time' I stood and threw the cushion at him, he caught it. 'I'm gonna go to bed, I'll try not to walk in on you undressing tonight'.

I was sure I heard him mutter something before calling goodnight, but I couldn't quite hear it.

I got changed for bed, and snuggled up under the sheet. The breeze from the window was perfectly counteracting the furious blush on my face. My mind was racing round in circles, he asked Pam if I could stay with him? But then, she had that gem of information to use to make me stay and didn't.

I rolled my eyes to myself and tried to get to sleep. Though this brought up thoughts about whether Eric had shared my dream, or if he'd watched Dr who and not realised it.

Maybe an experiment was in order.

I tried to get as comfortable as possible, and focussed on something Eric wouldn't have seen.

Hmm, a couple of people sharing a house in London, weird flat-mates, military wannabe friend, arty man in the basement flat. (ringing any bells?) this was another fall-back dream to help me sleep. Again, in the background was Eric, fully clothed this time. I wondered if this was an indication that he had fallen asleep.

I wasn't entirely asleep, and felt this may be an interesting development. It did also make me wonder if this was part of my other problem, my head-ache inducing issue. In my dream I moved towards Eric, he didn't seem to see me. I tried to whisper in his ear, but got little reaction. However by leaning closer, my hand brushed by his shoulder, and with that contact I got bright visions of what he must be dreaming about.

This was quite a surprise, to my memory this had never happened before, but it had been a while since I'd shared a building with someone.

I left Eric, in my dream, to enjoy his brightly coloured scene. Moving like I was walking through toffee to find my dream. I found the bit I'd left, my attic room, and settled back into it. Not long after I drifted off to sleep properly.

I was woken again by the sunlight, I really must remember to close the curtains. I turned my alarm off, only 10 minutes until it was due anyway. Got showered and dressed, then made my way to the kitchen to start the coffee machine. I had just filled my cup when Eric emerged. He looked a little better than yesterday, but still quite sleepy.

'did you sleep any better?' I asked, getting him a cup.

'a little, still had strange dreams, you appeared briefly.' he said, sitting on the stool opposite me.

'oh? Were you trapped under a giant cushion?' I laughed.

'not likely, that would be you. No mine was weird, you were floating around whispering something' he said.

'I'll shout next time' I said, smiling. This was unexpected.

We drank our coffee, as I explained to him the joy that is 'Spaced'. when I rolled around to 7.20 we got in the car and made our way to work.

As we entered the front door I set off towards the labs, expecting Eric to head off to the office.

'so you still in Bill's lab? Shall I come get you at lunchtime?' he asked across the foyer.

'no, Pam has sent me to Sam's lab today, but yeah, lunch sounds good.

Upon reaching the lab, I found Sam in his usual high spirits. He introduced me to his lab, even though I ha met all of them in Sunday. He showed me what the main problems were, and I got stuck in.

Time seemed to pass in a blur, I had just looked at the clock, it was 11am. Pam appeared at the door, and called me into the corridor again, I sighed internally.

'how's it going?' she asked casually.

'not bad, we've isolated the major problems and I'm just sorting out what needs changing, hopefully we won't even have to change the written method.

'excellent, I hear you haven't always worked in a lab' Pam said, I hadn't seen this coming but I was sure I knew what she was driving at.

'I have spent a few years working in offices, just to try a different profession.' I said, crossing my fingers behind my back.

'why would you say office work didn't suit you?' she asked,

'they were surprisingly disorganised, considering the importance of their company.' I told her, and I knew as soon as I'd finished, by the smile spreading across her face, I was going to be seeing a lot more of Eric.


	9. Chapter 9

I got a bit lost, I think. Eric was getting wussy, Sookie was wussy. This is the beginning of returning to their normal personalities. I hope.

Again I hope you get any British references I missed, I've spent a tiny amount of time in PA, but this is stretching my knowledge.

Hope you like it J

Sending all my love and respect to Charlaine Harris, for bringing us the joy of the southern vampire books. Re-directing my lust to Mr Skarsgard junior. hmmm

'come to my office at the end of the day so we can discuss this further.' Pam told me before heading off down the corridor.

I walked back into the lab in a daze. Do I go along with this blatant matchmaking, or should I tell her that I'm a chemist and I belong in the lab? Should I call her on this silly plan, or do I let her carry on, towards her version of a happy ever after? Do I risk my happiness in England for what might be nothing, or do I dive into it head-on, consequences be damned.

I sat down in front of the computer I was working on, and tried to read the method. After I'd read the first paragraph 3 times I gave up. Lynn, the girl from lunch yesterday was sat near me, I did my bet to strike up a conversation. She must have taken pity on me, she took charge and began telling me some very useful things.

'Judith's been seeing Bill on the quiet, she'd admit it in a second, but Bill's worried about his career' she was saying, this was quite interesting. Info to be analyzed later.

'is Pam a good boss?' I asked, trying to lead the conversation into a certain direction

'to be honest, this is the most I've ever seen her. She must think your a genius to be chasing after you' she said, 'I heard she has some connection to your friend Eric.' this got my attention.

'really?' I said, hoping she would continue,

'yeah, and I hear he's making quite an impression on you' she smiled,

'he's a nice guy, just a little confusing.' I said, telling the utter truth.

We chatted a little longer and Lynn told me the best person to talk to is Judith, which would be difficult, seeing as how I'd just been moved out of her lab. Apparently all of the time she would normally spend with Bill, she ended up gossiping because he was busy. I learned she took a break at 2pm for coffee everyday, without fail. I must remember to clock watch a little better and catch her.

Soon it was lunch time, and Eric appeared at the door as promised. Lynn gave me a little wink as I swapped my labcoat for my bag and left. Eric seemed a little distracted, so I waited until we reached our seats in the diner to talk.

'everything ok? You seem a little stressed' I asked, feeling real concern for his lack of cheer.

'yeah, its nothing. How's your day going?' he replied, sounding glum.

'Pam wants to see me later, and I really feel I should talk to you first.' I said, diving right in. I couldn't bear that his mood might have anything to do with me.

'oh? She's spoken to you? Look Sookie….' he began, I interrupted him before it went to far.

'Eric, wait. I don't know what's going on, but I'm here to help out in the lab. I'm pretty sure you are doing great in the office, and I aren't about to come in and tell you how to do your job.' I began, 'so, I'm going to see Pam later to tell her I'm going home. She doesn't need me, she needs an engineer.' I said it all in one go, otherwise I would have bottled out.

'No Sookie, I'll have a word with her. When she gets an idea in her head, she's like a dog with a bone.' he said, surprised.

'I have a vague idea of her plan, but she isn't in charge of whether I stay' I told him, 'I think I'll go chat to her after lunch.'

'there's a few things I need to tell you before you do' he said, looking at his hands.

'Oh?' I asked,

'Pam and I… used to be a couple. Now she seems determined to find… well, someone to make me happy. But it isn't up to her, I'm capable of finding someone. I think I may have, but that's not the point' he struggled to explain, I could see he was embarrassed.

'are you saying she is trying to push us together?' I asked.

'yes' he replied,

'well that's very flattering of her, but like you say, your capable of doing your own looking'

'yeah. Tell you what, I'll talk to her when I get back and sort this all out.' he reasoned. I was hoping for another outcome, but he seemed to be stalling.

The waitress took our orders, and we sat in relative silence as we ate. On the way back to the lab we walked quietly, until we reached the front door.

'we should go out tonight, if you aren't too tired.' Eric said, with renewed confidence in his voice.

'yeah, ok. You have anywhere in mind?' I asked,

'I think so, I'll come find you at the end of the day' he replied, smiling and following me through the first set of doors. He paused outside Pam's office,

'everything should calm down after today, you can finally begin to enjoy your stay.'

'I was already enjoying it, this is the most fun I've ever had.' I told him, 'mostly thanks to you, my most gracious host.'

'that's good to hear, I'll see you later' he said, and disappeared behind the door.

I got back to the lab, Lynn was bubbling over with excitement.

'Sookie, you'll never guess what I found out.' She almost screamed across the lab.

I prepared myself for just some gossip, but found she had actually discovered a lot of useful things.

'so Bill had convinced Pam that he should host the visitor, until she saw Eric's reaction to you. Now Bill's having a hissy fit, Pam is punishing him, and you are getting shuttled around to her whim' she explained, not even pausing for breath.

'they're a bunch of high school kids really, aren't they?' I said to her, laughing at it.

'you'd think, wouldn't you?' she laughed.

The rest of the afternoon moved without event, until about 4pm when I was due to see Pam. Eric hadn't told me the outcome of his chat, so I had no idea what to expect. I just hoped she wasn't angry.

Bobby grunted that she was still in a meeting and that I should wait. After only 5 minutes, Pam buzzed him and he told me to enter.

'hello Sookie, we have a few things to talk about. Please, make yourself comfy' Pam said from across the room. She appeared to be pouring a drink.

I sat down and waited for her to turn around before I spoke.

'I'm sorry if I've caused any problems being here, but I need to discuss my role here' I said, trying to remain professional.

'yes we do' Pam replied bluntly. I was slightly worried, I had decided to stay regardless of her plans, maybe she was going to kick me out. 'I must apologise for my behaviour, I have become slightly over zealous. I think your presence is having an affect on quite a few of us.'

'I'm sorry?' I said, utterly confused.

'I'm a highly motivated woman, Sookie. When I see a problem I try to find the best resolution. I hear Eric spoke to you about our past. Well, I want you to know it was all my fault. I hurt him and now I want to fix him. I apologise for using you as a Band-Aid.' she was struggling to hide a smirk.

'ok, we can put that behind us. Can we focus on what I'm here for now?' I said hopefully

'yes, that sounds best. How have you done today?'

I spent about 15 minutes explaining all I had found, and what could be done to solve it. She seemed suitably impressed.

'where am I tomorrow?' I asked, hoping she had changed her mind since this morning.

'oh, yes. You will be remaining in the lab for now. I may still put you in the office briefly if necessary at a later date. I appreciate your hard work Sookie, the company you work for may own this business, but I may yet start a new one. I would like you to consider staying for that reason, you would be paid a good wage and given a suitable job title.' Pam said, she seemed like she was ticking off reasons that weren't linked to anything but work now.

'oh wow, Pam that's really nice of you. I have to admit, this is a great place to work, let me see how the next few weeks go, then I'll be able to give you an answer.' I reasoned. She was still pushing, just gently.

I left her office, giving an overly polite 'goodnight' to Bobby. Heading down to the corridor back to the lab I ran into Bill.

'Ah Sookie, can I borrow you for a moment?' he asked

'sure, what's the problem?' I replied,

We walked to his lab, chatting about one of his methods on the way. A machine I had worked on had reset itself and lost my programming, shouldn't take long to fix. I made a hard copy.

As I fiddled with the computer, Bill hovered nearby. The lab was deserted, which made his every movement echo around the room.

'you should watch yourself around Mr Northman' Bill said unexpectedly.

'I should?' I asked,

'he has a poor reputation for flirting with everyone, don't let him lead you on' he replied, with no emotion in his voice.

'thanks for the advice' I said, glad I was almost finished.

'could I take you out for a drink?' Bill asked, after a few moments of silence.

'um, I'm fine thanks. That computer should be fine now, see you tomorrow' I said, rushing out of the lab.

I got a little lost, I wasn't paying attention for the first couple of corners I dashed around. Strangely I seemed to have found my way to the office. I reached for the handle, just as it opened. Eric appeared in front of me.

'ah, I was just coming to find you. Are you read to go?' he asked,

We quickly went back to the lab, I told Sam I'd see him in the morning, and then made our way to the car.

Eric drove into the city, and parked near a long string of shops.

'I only got lost because I was escaping Bill's advances' I joked, after yet another joke about whether I'd get lost if he left me for a moment.

'advances? He asked you out?' Eric seemed surprised and slightly angry.

'yeah, but he's seeing Judith, and he's odd' I said,

'still, not his normal professional self' Eric replied, as we walked towards a bar.

We found somewhere to sit, Eric got us some beers, and we ordered food.

'how was Pam with you this afternoon?' Eric asked after the waitress left.

'odd, but better. Very interesting, but still odd' I said, the beer going straight to my head.

'sounds like she's back to normal' Eric laughed.

We sat and joked, after finishing our food and a couple more beers, Eric suggested we dance.

'you look like an angel when you dance' Eric said as his arm went around my waist.

I didn't have any idea how to reply to that so I just smiled and nodded.

We danced a little longer, and when the music changed to a more upbeat song than before, we got a little separated. When I next spotted Eric, he was being followed to the bar by a tall brunette woman.

I was curious, so staying out of eyeline, I watched him.

Eric walked straight up to the bartender and spoke, presumably ordering a drink. The brunette positioned herself next to Eric, leaning over the bar a little and flirting like crazy. Suddenly Eric turned to her, and after saying something quietly, looked at her like she'd just insulted his mother. The brunette put her best 'fuck you' face on, said something and then stormed off. It was hilarious to watch.

I made my way around the bar, back to our seat. I was really starting to feel the beer now. Eric joined me soon after, with another beer.

'you having fun? Or you wanna go home?' he asked, sitting closer than he had been before.

'I'm a bit drunk, but we can stay if you like' I said, enjoying the culture.

'let's finish these and go for a little walk, we'll have to hail a cab anyway' Eric said, indicating the beers.

As we drank our final bottle each, Eric and I ended up sitting shoulder to shoulder looking out at the clubbers.

'I used to like watching crowds like this' I told him, feeling very drunk.

'why? They are just a bunch of drunkards' he said. I looked a him and he laughed.

'if you pick out the most drunk man or woman, its guaranteed that within 10 minutes, they'll do something hilarious.' I explained. 'look at that one, in the green dress' I said, pointing to the brunette who had tried to chat him up earlier.

'that's a dress?' he laughed, 'she's not the drunkest, look at the one in the sparkly top' he pointed out another good candidate.

'hmm not bad, now how drunk do you think they are? Will they fall over, or walk into something, or maybe start a fight?' I said,

'I dunno, maybe fall over' he offered.

We sat back and watched for a little while, we were now pretty much leaning on each other. Eric finished his beer and moved to stand up.

'back in a minute' he said and disappeared.

Within second of him leaving, the brunette in green was staggering towards me. She paused a moment half way, almost like she'd forgotten what she was doing. She finally made in to the booth and leaned on it to talk.

'what you watchin' me for bitch?' she slurred,

'I wasn't watching you, I was watching someone else' I told her, 'and mind who you call bitch'

'I calls it like I sees it, and you are a snooty ass bitch' she said, waving her hand around.

'not snooty, just coherent' I giggled, unable to hold it in any longer.

'what you call me?' she yelled and reached to slap me, she missed which only made me laugh harder.

'I didn't call you anything, but I could think of a few things' I said, moving towards her and standing up.

Sadly at that point, Eric came back.

'hey honey, come to find me have you' said the drunk,

'not if you were the only woman on earth, but if you trouble my friend again….' he managed before I interrupted.

'I'll kick your scrawny drunken ass back to your grotty little trailer park' I told her firmly, 'shall we go?' I asked Eric, reaching for my bag.

'good idea' he said, grabbing his coat.

'aww sugar, you not staying' the drunk continued, she obviously drank enough to have memory issues.

'You area waste of a Y chromosome' Eric said sharply, finally stunning her to silence.

On our way out of the door, we spotted her arriving back at her friends table, and starting a fight with sparkly top woman.

'I guess we both win that round, but I won first' I told him, pointing to the bouncers trying to separate the women delicately.

'did you start a fight to win the bet?' Eric asked,

'no, of course not. But I would have won' I smiled up at him.

'no doubt' he said.

We strolled down the street, talking and joking like we had been friends for years. It was only when Eric moved to hail a cab, did I notice we were holding hands.


	10. Chapter 10

I think this chapter has brought everyone back on track. I must have re-written it 4 times, I hope you can't tell. I've had a few days off work, and to avoid boredom and crappy tv, I've been working on this. It lets me think about Eric all day long, and my husband doesn't even get jealous.

Love hugs and European kisses to Charlaine Harris for her wonderful imagination, and naughty warm thoughts to Alexander Skarsgard.

Hope you enjoy J

The cab was really comfy, so was Eric's shoulder. After we climbed in the back of the cab, he took hold of my hand and put his arm around my shoulders. I leaned into him, and drifted to sleep.

I woke as Eric was trying to lift me out of the cab.

'hang on, I'm fine' I said, almost crawling out of the cab.

Eric put his arm firmly round my waist and we walked up to the front door.

Upon entering the apartment, I slumped on the sofa.

'you gonna be ok there?' Eric asked, sitting next to me, 'will you make it to bed?'

'that's a good question' I said, and tried as hard as I could to think of anything else to say. Sadly the only thing rolling around my head was 'bed, bed, bed'. 'maybe I should go to bed' I told him, and tried to stand, ending up sat back down next to him.

'come here' he said, standing and holding out his hand to me. I took hold and was swept up into the air, I may have screamed but I ended up laughing wildly at being dangled over Eric's back.

'put me down you beast' I shouted, slapping him firmly on the ass.

'must rescue drunken damsel' he said, doing a good impression of a caveman.

He carried me across the room, through my door, and deposited me on the bed.

I just lay there laughing.

'if you need anything, just yell' Eric said, pulling a sheet and flicking it to cover me.

'will do' I shouted from beneath.

When I heard my door shut I removed the sheet in wriggled out of my jeans. I found my pyjamas and crawled back under the sheet. I drifted to sleep thinking of the wonderful man next door.

My dreams were a little weird, running down corridors and turning corners, only to catch a glimpse of Eric turning the next corner. He seemed to be searching for something, and I knew I had to catch up, but as with all dreams, I wasn't moving fast enough. The corridor vanished and I was running through a forest, still with Eric ahead, appearing from behind trees.

My progress seemed to be slowing, and the trees were getting harder to see through. Like there was a fog rolling in. I stopped running, having lost sight of Eric. I wandered around, soundlessly calling to him, seeing small movements in the fog. Suddenly I notice I was rising from the forest floor, I looked down and saw I was wearing a flowing white dress, which was doing that movie style 'blown by wind' look.

As I looked around for something to grab a hold of, I saw the forest clear and become light. As I watched, I saw where the light was coming from. It was me, I was glowing but it was a pale blue light, like the sky on a sunny day. I saw that I had stopped rising, and looked around the forest, finally I spotted Eric. He was walking slowly towards me, transfixed on the light. I began to descend back to ground level, reaching the floor as Eric reached me. He smiled and put his hands on my shoulders. 'wake up' he said.

'wake up?' I thought

Suddenly my eyes flashed open, to see Eric leaning over me.

'are you ok?' he asked,

'yeah, was I talking in my sleep?' I replied, slightly worried.

'no, but your sat on the sofa' he said.

I looked around, and sure enough I was in the living room.

'how did that happen?' I said, mostly to myself.

'no idea, but you were quiet. I only came out here because I thought I'd left the light on' he said.

I was confused, thinking that I may have to sort out my head pretty soon.

'did we put the lights on?' I asked, not really remembering

'I didn't think so, but I woke and thought I saw a blue light coming from under the door. I came out here, and you were just sitting here' he said, sitting down next to me.

'I was having a really weird dream though' he continued,

'oh really, what were you up to?' I asked, crossing my fingers.

'I was at work, to begin with, looking for um… someone. Then I was surrounded by trees, I heard my name and saw a light, then I woke up' he explained.

'that sounds different, I like forest dreams' I said yawning. 'I'd better get back to bed, sorry if I woke you'.

'what were you dreaming about to end up out here?' he asked as we walked back to our rooms,

'oh, I can't really remember' I said vaguely.

I went back into my room after saying goodnight again, and switched on my laptop. I got a drink from the bathroom and settled down, just as the thing finished loading.

I clicked straight to my email, hoping for the gem of wisdom from Julie. I wasn't sure if it was still relevant, after all Eric had said earlier that he thought he had found someone. As much as I would like to think it was me, no counting chickens.

Julie's email was short and sweet.

"Dear Sookie,

Work is chaos, of course they aren't coping, they don't cope when we are at full staff. If you can get a job out there, Brilliant! Don't look here with rose tinted glasses, go for it! As far as Eric is concerned, you just be your normal gorgeous self and he couldn't possibly resist. If you aren't sure, wait for him to say so. Just relax honey, your in California! Less of the 'mighty' next time, mystic will do fine.

Big hugs

Julie xx"

'fair advice' I thought to myself. Now on to my mission, dream meanings.

After a good half an hour trawling through piles of crap on the internet, I finally found one website that made a little sense. I won't bore you with the details, but apparently this dream 'is normal when falling in love with someone new to your life.' I scrolled to the bottom of the page by habit, and saw a list of 'abilities'. There was pyrokinesis, telekinesis, summoning, casting, telepathy, animal control and levitation.

This was very interesting, I had always wanted telekinesis, would make lab work a bit easier.

The page I was sent to listed the ways to tell if you had telekinesis. Did things move or shake when you were upset, have you ever woken to find something unusual in your bed?

This was quite a good giggle, I scrolled down to the bottom and clicked on 'telepathy' my Gran used to tease me that I was telepathic, but I never ever told her how right she was.

The list read: hearing non-spoken words. Head-aches after prolonged exposure to crowds, directional dreaming, dream-sharing*.

*occurs in rare cases of special connections.

I sat there staring at the page. Special connections? Maybe there was a connection I was missing, there had been a few things recently that had confused me. I though back to the one thing that stood out in my mind recently.

Eric, sitting in the diner, looking very pale as I spoke about Pam. Now what did I say… something about her calling me into the corridor. She had asked me bluntly 'what could I offer you to become permanent?', I had told her I just needed some time to settle in, she had said something about a promotion, and I told her I liked being in the lab. That was the first time she had been really insistent. She was racking her brain for anything to convince me, including Eric's growing affection.

Then Eric's face in the diner, he looked like he'd been betrayed. Like he knew she'd come to see me, right after talking to him. I heard him quietly 'she didn't…. what did she tell her'.

I closed my laptop and lay back on my bed. This just felt silly, I was obviously still drunk.

I slid my laptop onto the floor and got comfy, falling asleep after turning over a few times restlessly.

The morning light woke me, again, and I swore to close the curtain before getting into bed next time.

I showered and dressed, trying to clear my mind of the night before.

Walking through to the kitchen, I found Eric already there, making coffee.

'I was just about to wake you' he called,

'oh?' I said, checking the clock, 'crap, I slept in' I mumbled, 'stupid alarm clock' I thought.

'quick coffee before we go?' he asked,

'wouldn't survive without' I said, 'maybe less drinking on a work night'

'yeah, we got a little carried away. Some of us more than others' he said, winking as he passed my cup.

'the sleep walking probably didn't help' I added, taking a drink.

'its was amusing, finding you sat out here.' he told me, moving around the counter to sit on the stool next to me.

'yeah, who knows where I might end up next' I turned and wiggled my eyebrows at him, which made him laugh.

'wouldn't bother me' he said taking his last drink of coffee. I swear there was a twinkle in his eyes.

Our trip to work was quiet each of us curled up in the back of a cab. I felt a bit under the weather, and Eric looked a little tired.

We arrived, said out 'see you laters' and I headed straight for the lab.

After a few hours of working on a machine with no progress, I decided to grab a coffee before I damaged something in a fit of rage. The previous night had spooked me a little, and being alone in a lab gave me far too much time to think. What was I expecting from my stay here? What the hell was with those dreams? And did Eric share my dream, or was it just a coincidence?

I stood waiting for my coffee in the canteen, looking out of the window and the beautiful scenery. It may have been in a city, but it still had a certain charm.

'You gonna drink that today?' said a voice, bringing me back to reality. Pam was stood watching me, seemingly amused at how high I jumped.

'Oh! Sorry I was just thinking' I said, collecting my coffee and getting out of her way. She moved to a table with me.

'There is something I would like you to see, I know I've been pestering you about staying, but I think this may help make up your mind.'

'Really? What do you want to show me?' I asked, a little concerned.

'Actually Eric will be showing you, I came looking for you while he went to retrieve his car.'

I stared at her for a moment, unable to reply. I had this sinking feeling something big was about to happen, and I wasn't sure if I was going to like it.

She led me down to her office and we chatted while we waited for Eric to return.

'I rang this company's new owners, to resign my post. Unfortunately they brought to my attention, a clause in the sales contract I missed. It seems I have to remain here for a full year to run the company after the sale is finalised, the sale finalised yesterday.' she said, sounding a bit pissed off.

'however the problem is this, my new company' she told me, holding out the folder to look at.

'I have already set it in motion, and to stop now would be bankrupting. So I need you two to get it running for me.' she finished. Sitting back in her chair with a triumphant glow.

'Whoa, I work for the people you are wanting to leave, how can I help?' I asked, confused

'Sookie, this is the reason I have been trying to get you to stay, I want you for my company.' she said, like it was obvious.

'but you didn't know anything about me until last week' I reasoned.

'no, but I was still looking, and so was Eric. It was Eric who pointed out your possibilities, and since you have arrived, I admit I have tested you a little. You pick up new knowledge very quickly and work well with all those who are important. Of course, if there is anyone else you know who would like the chance to help set up a company, just say and we'll assess them' she stated.

'oh' was all I managed.

While I sat staring at her, for the second time in less than an hour, Eric knocked and entered her office.

He quietly sat down, and waited for the shock to filter through my system.

'this is all so weird' I whispered

'why don't you two take the file home, have a chat and see what you think. There's a meting at 2.30pm you should attend.' Pam said,

'um, ok' I said, Eric and I stood and left her office. I'm sure I hugged the folder all the way to the car.

We got back to the apartment, and I went to sit at the table, still hugging the folder.

'you can let go of that, it won't float away' he said, putting the kettle on.

'I know, its just a little strange' I said, looking at the folder I gripped so tightly.

'Pam has intuition, or something. She's good at spotting people who are special.' he explained.

I looked over at him.

'special?' I asked, concerned.

'yeah, y'know, special' he said, like he wanted me to understand it in the 'other' way.

'so what's your special skill?' I tried to joke

'I predict the market movements accurately, so we can stay in a profitable business' he said, pouring water into our cups,

'oh, how do you do that?' I asked,

'just watch the market trends I guess, I just seem to have a gift for it' he said, sitting down and passing me a cup of tea.

We opened the folder and I began to read through the plans, Pam had indicated who was to move companies if they agreed, and it was well thought through.

'she knows what she doing then?' I commented,

'oh yes, she even has the building lined up, and funds to start preparing.' he told me.

'it's a lot to take in' I said,

'she asked you because she knew you were up to it' he told me, 'your good at your job, and she likes you' he said, smiling and passing me a plate for my lunch.

'she likes me?' I said, astounded

'yes, and she's not the only one. You are easy to like' he said

'that's sweet of you to say' I told him, beginning to blush

'I mean it, I love spending time with you, your so much fun' he said, punching my shoulder lightly

'I guess it a good job I'm sharing your flat then' I giggled

After we finished our tea, Eric suggested we should go see the building. Had a feeling this was going to be his way of winning me over for the company.

'I think you should drive' Eric said, as we approached the car.

'only if you read the map, I guess if I'm staying I should get a car and apartment of my own' I said, climbing into the drivers seat and handing the folder to Eric.

'there's no rush, I told you I like your company' he said, opening to the map

I fiddled with the car for a moment, to find the controls. Then we set off, the new building was a little closer to where Eric lived, but on a new site away from the main city.

After about half an hour of driving Eric pointed to a building and we pulled over. It was a large and modern, bigger than any I'd ever worked in.

We walked up to the door, Eric removed the keys from the folder and we entered.

The foyer was very tastefully decorated, with a stylish desk for the receptionist. We continued through one of the large doors to one side and found our selves in the office area.

The carpet was a pale green, and the walls were sky blue. Huge windows filled two walls, and there were even skylights to allow more natural light.

'this is amazing? Did Pam specify everything?' I asked, in awe of the place.

'yeah, Pam wanted to make this building different. I think she means to keep it longer than normal' he explained.

We continued though the room, finding a door which led straight to the labs. Each of the labs we passed through were perfect. Clean wipeable work space, lots of cupboards, and lots of sockets. The lab was mostly painted white, with blue accents.

'what do you think? Eric asked

'its amazing, I can't wait to start working here' I replied, trying to get the situation to sink in.

'Pam had a… feeling that you would. She said she'd bring you here if you couldn't decide.'

'Pam seems to know a lot about people, without actually knowing them' I said, continuing through the lab

'yes… she does' Eric mumbled, before stating more confidently 'let's get you back to tell Pam the good news.'

'Huh?'

'You just said you can't wait to start working here, I'm taking that as you making up your mind.'

'Well, yeah. I guess I have.' I replied, dazed.

We drove back to work, Eric and I talking about California and the states in general. By the time we got to work, we had come to the conclusion, I could always have extra air-conditioners to deal with the ridiculous heat. Eric laughed at my jokes about the heat, but to be honest, I was loving the sunshine.

When we arrived back at work, Eric practically frog-marched me to Pam's office, telling Bobby to hold all calls as he passed.

'you two were quicker than I expected' Pam said after Eric shut the door, 'I take it you've reached a decision, Sookie?'

'yes, Pam. I'd love to work for you, if I can ask one tiny little thing?' I said, crossing my fingers.

'you can ask' she smiled,

'can I keep working in the lab, under whatever job title you think, I just love my job the way it is' I asked,

'certainly, if that's your only stipulation, I'll get a contract written as soon as possible. Glad you decided to stay, what changed your mind?' she asked,

'oh it wasn't any one thing, I just thought it was a good idea, a new adventure.' I smiled at her, my new boss.


	11. Chapter 11

OK, Almost there. I have never written anything so long, and although I lost my way a little I have learned a lot during my first proper story. Like, plan it out, don't just write until you fall asleep.

Thanks for the reviews, it means so much to me that people are reading, and liking my random brain farts. Though I didn't realise I could reply to them, so I shall begin doing that now…

Great love and admiration to Charlaine Harris or creating the characters I borrowed. Love and snuggles to Alexander Skarsgard for providing his own special brand of inspiration.

The afternoon meeting passed very quickly, everyone voted that I should be considered an equal part of the new company. Eric said we should celebrate, I countered with the idea of a peaceful meal, after the events of the previous night I wanted to avoid alcohol just in case it had something to do with the dreams.

We arrived back at the apartment and Eric put the coffee on while I checked out his cupboards again.

'Guess I better ring my manager and tell them I'm not coming home' I said, pulling out some packets of sauce mixes.

'What do you think she'll say?' he asked, pouring the coffee

'Not a clue, can't say she'll be impressed, or surprised. I'd better get it done sooner rather than later.'

As Eric took our drinks to the sofa, I went into my room to make the dreaded phone call. I sat on the edge of my bed looking out at the beautiful garden and clear blue sky, and dialled the number.

'Enviro Labs UK, how can I help you?' came the familiar voice of the receptionist,

'Hi, Its Sookie Stackhouse, I need to speak to Philip Pearce please'

'One moment please' came the reply. I took a deep breath, I could feel my stomach tighten.

'Sookie, good to hear from you. How are things going?'

'Great, the labs are almost ready for the new influx of work' I told him, stalling a little.

'That's great news, but that can't be the only reason for your call'

'No, its not. I'm calling to inform you I wish to resign my post.' I held my breath for his reply.

'That's unfortunate, but hardly surprising after Pam's phone call yesterday. However, by the terms of your contract you must work your month's notice, and I must insist you return here to do so'

His words hung in my head for a moment, slowly sinking in. When I gave no reply he continued.

'I expect you back here on Monday, and I wish to see you in my office first thing.'

'Yes sir, I'll come back at the weekend' I told him, and hung up.

My head was spinning, was I doing the right thing? Leaving behind everything and everyone I knew for this fantastical new adventure. Could throwing away my stable career really be the right decision? Or was I preparing myself for a great fall? Only time would tell.

I slowly walked out of my room to join Eric, sitting down and sipping my coffee.

'How did it go?' Eric asked, noticing my blank expression.

'I have to go back to work my notice' I replied, shell-shocked. Then quietly began sobbing.

'Oh Sookie' he said, putting his arm around my shoulders trying to comfort me.

'He wants to see me in his office Monday morning.'

Eric called Pam to tell her the news while I tried to pull myself together. Deep down I knew I had to return home to sort out my flat and I'd have to look for a place of my own here, but I had managed to fool myself that this wonderful dream like world in California was going to last forever. Reality always had a habit of showing up when you least wanted it. I went back to my room and put my things back into my bag, this was going to be difficult, but it had to be finished.

Time flew by and soon Eric was taking me to the airport, I knew I would be coming back but it didn't make it any easier.

'You have my number, and I have yours. Don't worry about calling at anytime if you want to talk' Eric said, holding my shoulders and looking deep into my eyes. I managed to nod in reply, knowing that if I spoke I may start crying again.

'It won't be long until your back here for good, and know you'll be missed' he leant down and kissed my forehead. I looked up at him and smiled.

I headed for the check-in desk and Eric followed me as far as he could. Just before I passed through to wait at the gate he pulled me to one side.

'I've been meaning to say something, and now might not be the best time, but I want you to know before you go. I really enjoy spending time with you, and… well.' he seemed undecided about something, so I interrupted.

'Eric, I aren't going for that long, and depending on what Philip says I may just quit and come back straight away. So hold that thought and tell me next time I'm here' I stood on my tip-toes and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

'OK, just take care of yourself.'

I walked through passport control, pausing to wave before moving towards the gate which would take me home. I sat on the hard chair and looked out of the window waiting for the plane to arrive, a tear slowly began forming in the corner of my eye as I thought about what Eric might have been trying to say. This was going to be a very long month.

I arrived back in England and Julie met me at the airport. I practically fell into her arms sobbing about everything that was happening. She took me back to my flat and we sat and chatted for ages. It was early Sunday morning when she told me to go to bed, but promised to be back the next day.

I crawled under my duvet and stared at my phone, I could call Eric but I knew I would only end up sobbing down the phone. I decided, after picking up the phone several times, that I would call him when I'd seen Philip on Monday.

Julie was an angel on Sunday, bringing some food over, we sat and chatted and watched crappy TV. I told her all about Pam's new company, and how she wanted me to find good staff. I really wanted Julie to come out to California, she was like my anchor, but she had a life of her own and a family. She promised to think about it. I told her I could always send Pam over to convince her, she said that sounded like a threat.

By Sunday night we had come up with a plan of action. I would let Philip say his thing, and if he was being unreasonable I would quit. If he was fair I would stick around and work my notice like a normal employee would. It was going to be hard, but with so much uncertainty I needed good references, just in case.

Monday morning came around far too soon. I drove into work and made my way to see my team leader before I faced Philip.

'Sookie, I heard the news. I'm so happy for you' she yelled, diving at me and gripping me in a bear hug. 'Of course, I'm jealous as hell, but I'm so proud of you.'

'Thanks' I squeaked, before removing myself from her grasp 'how did Philip take it? He sounded angry on the phone.'

'Oh he's all bluster, probably jealous they could offer you something he couldn't. don't take any crap from him, I'll give you a reference regardless.'

This cheered me up immensely, but I had to stick to my plan. I made my way to his office, waving through a few windows as I passed.

I stepped inside his secretary's room so she could tell him I was here, and waited patiently thinking calm thoughts. After a few moments, she motioned me to go inside.

'Ah Sookie, early as always, please take a seat.' he indicated I should sit before he continued, 'So, you have decided to leave us to stay in California? What made you decide this?'

'I've been offered an opportunity which I feel would be the best direction for my career.' I stated simply.

'Is there anything I can offer to persuade you to stay? A pay rise, or promotion?'

'Thanks, but no. I've already accepted a new position.'

'Well, I have to say I am a little disappointed. If I had thought you would decide to leave us within a week of working out there, I would never have sent you. I had hoped that as one of the more timid members of staff, you would remain here until retirement.' he said, looking down his nose at me.

I was speechless, I hadn't thought of myself as timid, maybe this was his way of making me stay.

'maybe during your month's notice, you'll see what a rash decision this is. I may be able to see my way to withdrawing your notice.' he continued, clearly trying to get some reaction.

A reaction was definatly building inside me, but I doubt it was the one he expected.

'How dare you try to intimidate me into staying' I said, the words had been rehearsed with Julie, as I had no experience of confrontation. 'You can stick your month's notice, I quit!' I said, and stormed out of his office. I smiled at Audrey as I passed, I pitied the woman as she would get the brunt of his anger after I'd left. I went straight to Mel's office and told her what had happened.

'the snivelling little toad.' she spat, 'I never thought he would sink that low.'

'yeah, well. It just means I can be back in California before the end of the week.' I said, stunned at my nerve, now it'd had chance to sink in.

'Well good on ya, and I'll be over for a holiday when you've settled in' she smiled, calming me considerably.

I said my goodbyes and went to the lab to talk to Julie, she was in the room with the rest of my team having their morning meeting.

'Ah Sookie, are you joining us?' she asked,

'No, sadly your manager insulted me, so I quit' I told her, pausing when everyone gasped, then began clapping.

'Right then, well I guess I'll see you later. But officially, good luck with your new job' she beamed.

'thanks' I replied, grabbing the last of my things, I handed her my security pass and walked out to my car.

I hadn't wanted it to end this way, even though I wanted so badly to be back in the apartment with Eric. What he had started to say at the airport just kept playing over and over in my head, what direction was he taking? Was he about to declare his love for me, or tell me I was like a sister to him? Either way I didn't care at this point, so long as he wasn't about to kick me out of his apartment, at least until I found my own.

I drove back to my flat, and looking at the clock decided it was far too early to call him. 10am here was like 3am there or something…

Instead I made a cup of coffee and sat down to make a to-do list. Top of the list was what the hell to do with my flat and my car.

I must have fallen asleep watching boring daytime TV, because it was my phone that woke me. I retrieved it from my bag and looking at the screen puzzled. It was Eric.

'Hey Eric, everything ok?'

'Yeah, how did it go with your manager?'

'He insulted me, so I quit'

'Wow, so your coming back soon then?'

'I have a few things to sort out, but it won't be long. Is there anywhere I can store some of my things until I find an apartment?'

'Yeah, Mr Cataliades has a basement. But you don't need to worry about an apartment just yet, I like having you around. This weekend was too quiet and very dull.'

'Aww that's nice of you to say, I'll give you a call when I know more. You can have the joy of telling Pam' I smiled down the phone, he sounded so pleased I wouldn't be away for a month.

'Take care of yourself' he told me, we said our goodbyes and hung up.

I sat on my sofa for a while trying to sort everything out in my head. Not only was I moving to California, which was difficult to comprehend, but I seemed to have met the man of my dreams. However, to follow my dream I had to leave behind everyone and everything I knew. Strangely though, I was OK with all of that, the only thing bothering me was what to do with my stuff.

A text message brought me out of my deep thought, it was from Steve.

'How you doing girl? Fancy a visitor after work?'

This brought a genius idea to my head. Steve lived with his parents, so did James. My flat had two bedrooms, well one bedroom and a junk room, but I could rent it to them and make their lives easier.

I punched the air, celebrating with myself, and replied to Steve telling him to bring James with him.

I spent the rest of the day sorting through my things, packing the things I wanted into boxes and packing the rest to be disposed of. I was surprised at how little really mattered to me. I packed photos of my family and friends, books, cds and DVDs, and some bits and pieces I'd picked up in the last few years. I only managed to fill 4 boxes, which I thought as pretty weak. All my clothes and other material belongings fitted in 2 suitcases. Within 2 hours I was completely packed, and sat on the edge of my bed staring at what my life had amounted to. It was quite a sad sight, the girl who came from a modest background, struggled through university, fought with emotional difficulties, and finally landed the job she had aimed at, now head-hunted to work for a company so far from home. Gran would have been proud, but that didn't necessarily make it easier. I made a quick call to Jason, telling him of my plans. He had his own life, a construction company and a steady girlfriend. He seemed a bit put out, thinking he was the last to know, when in fact I had no-one else to tell, he was my only family. He promised to visit on a holiday, and wished me the best.

I only had half an hour until the guys from work would be heading over, so I popped out to the corner shop for a few bits and put the kettle on for their arrival.


End file.
